U.S. donates Hepatitis A vaccine, help to ports

TIRANA, Nov. 27 – The United States Embassy provided Hepatitis A vaccine to children in Sh쯧jin in the northwest with a contribution of over $30,000 from the U.S. European Command, through the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC). That is the second dose of Hepatitis A virus vaccine for children of all ages in the Sh쯧jin area. The vaccine provides protection from Hepatitis A, a viral disease that is often transmitted by contaminated food or water. This will improve the quality of health care service given to the civilian population in the District of Lezhe. The Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) manages the US Department of Defense’s Humanitarian Assistance program, providing direct humanitarian assistance to the Albanian people. This program has been active in Albania since 1996, providing supplies and rebuilding schools and medical facilities, developing water projects and many other non-military projects. In another event the United States Government, through its Department of Justice ICITAP program, donated four Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) to the Albania’s Ministry of Transport. The systems will be used in the International Ports of Durres, Shengjin, Saranda and Vlora. The $24,000 equipment will assist the Ports in their efforts to comply with International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) requirements. Compliance with the ISPS Code will result in increased ship traffic to the ports – a critical tool that will assist Albania’s economic development. The AIS is a system used by ships and vessel traffic systems (VTS) principally for identification of vessels at sea. AIS helps to resolve the difficulty of identifying ships when not in sight (e.g. at night, in fog, in radar blind arcs or shadows or at a distance) by providing a means for ships to exchange ID, position, course, speed and other ship data with all other nearby ships and VTS stations. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires AIS to be fitted aboard all ships greater than or equal to 300 gross tons for international voyages.