Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T17:26:22.619Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Avian influenza: The political economy of disease control in Cambodia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2016

Sophal Ear*
Affiliation:
Department of National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, 1411 Cunningham Road, Monterey, CA 93943. [email protected]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In the wake of avian flu outbreaks in 2004, Cambodia received $45 million in commitments from international donors to help combat the spread of animal and human influenza, particularly avian influenza (H5N1). How countries leverage foreign aid to address the specific needs of donors and the endemic needs of the nation is a complex and nuanced issue throughout the developing world. Cambodia is a particularly compelling study in pandemic preparedness and the management of avian influenza because of its multilayered network of competing local, national, and global needs, and because the level of aid in Cambodia represents approximately $2.65 million per human case—a disproportionately high number when compared with neighbors Vietnam and Indonesia. This paper examines how the Cambodian government has made use of animal and human influenza funds to protect (or fail to protect) its citizens and the global community. It asks how effective donor and government responses were to combating avian influenza in Cambodia, and what improvements could be made at the local and international level to help prepare for and respond to future outbreaks. Based on original interviews, a field survey of policy stakeholders, and detailed examination of Cambodia's health infrastructure and policies, the findings illustrate that while pandemic preparedness has shown improvements since 2004, new outbreaks and human fatalities accelerated in 2011, and more work needs to be done to align the specific goals of funders with the endemic needs of developing nations.

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Politics and the Life Sciences 

References

1. “Chinese hesitancy on avian flu,” Nature, January 26, 2006, 439: 369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Normile, Dennis, “First human case in Cambodia highlights surveillance shortcomings,” Science February 18, 2005, 307: 1027.Google Scholar
3. Hookway, James, “Bad diagnosis: In rural cambodia, avian influenza finds a weak spot; human cases escape notice amid ignorance, poverty as a pandemic threatens; advice: Dont eat sick birds,” The Wall Street Journal March 4, 2005, A1.Google Scholar
4. World Development Indicators, http://databank.worldbank.org, accessed August 12, 2011.Google Scholar
5. World Bank, “Avian and human influenza: Financing needs and gaps,” 2006, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/PROJECTS/Resources/40940-1136754783560/AHIFinancingGAPSFINAL.pdf, accessed August 12, 2011.Google Scholar
6. UN System Influenza Coordination and The World Bank, Animal and pandemic influenza: A framework for sustaining momentum, Fifth Global Progress Report, July 2010, http://un-influenza.org/files/Global%20Progress%20Report%202010.pdf, accessed 12 August 2011.Google Scholar
7. Charlene Porter, “Health officials focus on how to respond to disease outbreak: United States backs training in Thailand; Indonesia reports more human bird flu,” The Washington File, Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State, July 21, 2006.Google Scholar
8. Otte, Joachim and Roland-Hoist, David, “RE: [Pro-Poor Risk Reduction Case studies] E-Consultation Discussion…Risk,” e-mail communication from Joachim Otte to author and other e-consultants, August 20, 2008, 9:37 PM.Google Scholar
9. Ly, Sowath, Van Kerkhove, Maria D., Holl, Davun, Froehlich, Yves, and Vong, Sirenda, “Dispatches: Interaction between humans and poultry, rural Cambodia,” Emerging Infectious Diseases 2007, 13(1): 130132.Google Scholar
10. Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, “Rural Livelihood and Biosecurity of Gender and Socio-economic Impacts of HPAI and Its Control Over Rural Livelihoods and Bio-Security of Smallholder Poultry Producers and Poultry Value Chain in Cambodia,” Executive Summary, Centre d'Etude et de Développement Agricole Cambodgien, 2007.Google Scholar
11. World Health Organization, “Dengue and severe dengue,” Fact sheet No.117 January 2012, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en, accessed March 6, 2012.Google Scholar
12. Desiree LaBeaud, A. and Aksoy, Serap, “Neglected funding for vector-borne diseases: A near miss this time, a possible disaster the next time,” PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2010, 4(10): e847.Google Scholar
13. Khoun, Leakhana, “Child dengue deaths down but mortality rate up in 2008,” The Mekong Times June 25, 2008, http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2008/06/child-dengue-deaths-down-but-mortality.html, accessed August 12,2011.Google Scholar
14. “Dengue death rate reaches 10% in Cambodia in 2007,” Xinhua News, January 4, 2008, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/04/content_7365534.htm, accessed August 12, 2011.Google Scholar
15. “Dengue death toll surpasses all in 2006 in Cambodia,” www.chinaview.cn, July 10, 2007, http://www.oudam.com/cambodia/dengue-death-toll-surpasses-all-in-2006-in-cambodia.html, accessed August 12, 2011.Google Scholar
16. Richner, Beat, “The dengue disaster: A mirror of the hypocrisy of the health policy for the poor world,” The Cambodia Daily July 27, 2007, p. 15, http://www.beat-richner.ch/images/CambiodiaDaily_Richner2777.jpg, accessed August 12, 2011.Google Scholar
17. Scoones, Ian and Forster, Paul, “The international response to highly pathogenic avian influenza: Science, policy, and politics,” 2008, STEPS Working Paper 10, Brighton, UK: STEPS Centre, http://www.steps-centre.org/PDFs/Avian%20flu%20final%20w%20cover.pdf, accessed August 12,2011.Google Scholar
18. Ear, Sophal, “Cambodia's victim zero: Global and national responses to highly pathogenic avian influenza,” 2009, STEPS Working Paper 16, Brighton, UK: STEPS Centre, http://www.steps-centre.org/PDFs/Cambodia%20new.pdf, accessed August 12, 2011.Google Scholar
19. Bradsher, Keith, “Governments across southeast Asia work to contain bird flu,” New York Times January 26, 2004, A3.Google Scholar
20. Safman, Rachel, “The political economy of avian influenza in Thailand,” 2009, STEPS Working Paper 18, Brighton, UK: STEPS Centre, Centre, http://www.steps-centre.org/PDFs/Thailand.pdf, accessed December 8, 2011.Google Scholar
21. Case Study 3-1: Gathering Evidence for a Transitional Strategy (GETS) for HPAI HSN1 vaccination in Viet Nam, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.Google Scholar
22. A Safer Future: Global Public Health Security in the 21st Century, World Health Report, World Health Organization, 2007.Google Scholar
23. United Nations Resident Coordinator, “Avian influenza and pandemic preparedness funding matrix, Cambodia, 2008–2009,” 2008, http://un-influenza.org/files/asia_pacific/resource_guide/009_06_AI%20funding%20matrix_Cambodia.pdf, accessed March 6, 2012.Google Scholar
24. Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, “Surveillance: Bioterrorism epidemiology” Module 11, adapted from material created by Daryl Roberts, 2004, http://bioterrorism.slu.edu/bt/products/bio_epi/scripts/modil.pdf, accessed December 8, 2011.Google Scholar
25. Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003).Google Scholar