Since its re-emergence, HPAI H5N1 has attracted considerable public and media attention because the
viruses involved have been shown to be capable of producing fatal disease in humans. While there is
fear that the virus may mutate into a strain capable of sustained human-to-human transmission, the
greatest impact to date has been on the highly diverse poultry industries in affected countries. In
response to this, HPAI control measures have so far focused on implementing prevention and
eradication measures in poultry populations, with more than 175 million birds culled in Southeast Asia
alone.
Until now, significantly less emphasis has been placed on assessing the efficacy of risk reduction
measures, including their effects on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and their families. In order
to improve local and global capacity for evidence-based decision making on the control of HPAI (and
other diseases with epidemic potential), which inevitably has major social and economic impacts, the
UK Department for International Development (DFID) has agreed to fund a collaborative,
multidisciplinary HPAI research project for Southeast Asia and Africa.