News Release

HHS Secretary and Panamanian Health Minister and Gorgas Memorial Institute Agree to Expand Cooperative Public Health Efforts

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Panam�s Ministry of Health and the Gorgas Memorial Institute (GMI) today agreed to expand cooperative efforts to enhance the health of both nations and work together on pandemic preparedness.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and Panam�s Health Minister, Dr. Camilo Alleyne, and GMI Director General Dr. Jorge Motta agrees to collaborate on enhanced surveillance capacity, laboratory testing, diagnosis, treatment, epidemiological investigations, and control of infectious diseases; exchange technical experts and material to enhance preparedness and rapid response to infectious disease threats; and promote effective public-health measures against infectious diseases.

�Today�s signing is a vivid demonstration of both Governments� commitment to stand together in preparing for a possible pandemic, Secretary Leavitt said. �Panam� is a key strategic partner for the Unites States because of its location as a crossroads for both migratory birds and people.�

Earlier this year, Panam� hosted the United States Agency for International Development-Pan American Health Organization Training Workshop for Influenza Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention. The Panamanian government has drafted a comprehensive intergovernmental pandemic-preparedness plan and has indicated a commitment to enhance its laboratories� capacity to prevent and contain the spread of the avian influenza virus.

Panam�s GMI conducts research in the specialized fields of tropical medicine, preventive medicine, and health management. It is named after Dr. William Crawford Gorgas, the U.S. Army Physician who eradicated Yellow Fever in Panam� thereby enabling the building of the Panam� Canal.

HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness Stewart Simonson completed negotiations on behalf of Secretary Leavitt for today�s MOU during a recent visit to Panam� and the GMI facilities. In February, he negotiated a similar agreement with the Institut Pasteur. As a result, HHS and the Institut Pasteur are carrying out joint activities, beginning in Southeast Asia, to strengthen global capacity to detect influenza viruses that could have the potential to trigger a human pandemic.

For additional information about the U.S. Government's efforts to contain avian influenza and prepare for a potential influenza pandemic, please visit www.pandemicflu.gov.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last revised: April 19, 2006