Document Actions
Homeland Security Approves $5 Million Grant for FAZD
The Department of Homeland Security has approved a $5 million grant to fund a fourth year of product research and development at Texas A&M University’s National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense (FAZD), officials have announced.
The funding is made through the DHS' University Programs Centers of Excellence grant program.
Approval was granted after an extensive review process. DHS also extended approval for the FAZD Center through Year 5, pending availability of funds.
"Leadership at DHS clearly appreciates the risks posed to national stability by exotic and engineered animal diseases," said FAZD Center Director Dr. Neville P. Clarke. "We are gratified that DHS has again demonstrated its support for the FAZD Center's mission of developing the leading products that will directly address these risks."
The Center is focused currently on
three diseases:
- Rift Valley fever
- Foot and mouth disease
- Avian influenza
All three are exotic to the United States but have the
potential for
catastrophic outbreaks. In addition, both Rift Valley fever and avian
influenza are
zoonotic diseases – they may be transmitted from animals to
humans.
Click here for the full story at the Texas A&M News and Information website.