Americas Make Progress on Pandemic Preparedness

Washington, D.C., May 24, 2006 (PAHO)—Public health officials throughout the Americas are working to prepare for a possible flu pandemic, but their efforts will only succeed if they coordinate with other sectors, according to experts at a conference on "Responding to an Influenza Pandemic in the Americas," hosted by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) today in Washington, D.C.

"All sectors, including all sectors of government but also civil society and the private sector need to be involved in this process," said Dr. Carissa Etienne, assistant director of PAHO. "It is critical that we all work together to prevent this threat or to mitigate its effects."

"A pandemic is not merely a health issue," said Dr. Paula Dobriansky, undersecretary for democracy and global affairs at the U.S. State Department. "It is also a social issue, an economic issue."

Countries have stepped up their efforts to prepare for a possible flu pandemic in response to growing concerns over the spread of the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The lethal strain has been detected in birds in 52 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and experts fear it is only a matter of time before the virus reaches the Western Hemisphere.

While this would represent a threat to the poultry industry and to humans who come into contact with sick birds, the greater fear is that the H5N1 virus could mutate into a form that is easily transmissible among humans, sparking a human pandemic.

PAHO has been providing technical cooperation to help its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean develop, assess, implement, and strengthen national plans to deal with a potential influenza pandemic.

In contrast to just a year ago, today "every country in the Western Hemisphere has at least a draft plan for pandemic influenza preparedness," Dobriansky noted.

Brazil, for example, completed its national plan in mid-2005, with PAHO assistance, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva, Jr., undersecretary of health surveillance in Brazil’s Ministry of Health.

Like similar plans in the region, it includes measures to prevent the introduction or spread of avian influenza as well as actions to mitigate the effects of a human influenza pandemic, should one occur.

Brazil has established 10 sentinel sites where it hopes to detect any introduction of H5N1 in migratory birds, domestic poultry, or pigs.

In addition, Brazil is investing $13.6 million to build a new manufacturing plant for seasonal flu vaccine, scheduled to open in 2007. Barbosa described it as "a world-class plant, the first in a developing country." He said that in June of this year, a "pilot unit" will begin production of a pandemic influenza vaccine based on H5N1. Brazil has also ordered 90 million doses of the antiviral drug oseltamivir, sufficient for 9 million treatments.

"Our national health system is underfunded, and we have to make rational decisions about how to spend money for public health," said Barbosa.

Dr. Lloyd Webb, an expert on veterinary public health at PAHO’s Caribbean Program Coordination (CPC) office in Barbados, described efforts in the Caribbean to confront the twin threats of avian and pandemic influenza. "Planning for a human pandemic in the absence of appropriate prevention and control mechanisms for influenza in birds would prove disastrous," said Webb.

He said the Caribbean approach to these two threats focuses on surveillance at ports of entry to prevent the introduction of infected live poultry or poultry products, enhancing laboratory capacity for early detection of outbreaks, and plans for implementing culling and quarantine measures. Currently, only Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago have the laboratory capacity to detect the introduction of H5N1, he said.

Webb added that effective prevention efforts require the involvement of many sectors. "You need all the players—health, agriculture, trade, tourism, the private sector."

Dobriansky announced that Mexico, Canada, and the United States have formed a "small coordinating body" to develop a "North American response" to a possible pandemic.

Etienne urged more cooperation between countries and sectors to strengthen efforts against both avian and pandemic flu. "Avian influenza in any part of the world is a threat to everyone on this planet," she said.

See also:

• PAHO Avian Influenza website
• Strategic and Operational Plan for Responding to Pandemic Influenza (Draft, Sept. 23, 2005)
• United Nations Medical Services Staff Contingency Plan Guidelines for an Influenza Pandemic

PAHO press releases on avian and pandemic flu:

• PAHO Calls for North-South Cooperation to Prepare for Pandemic (Mar. 9)
• International Agencies Plan Joint Action against Bird Flu in the Americas (Mar. 7)
• PAHO Assists Bahamas in Investigation of Bird Deaths (Mar. 3)
• Avian vs. Pandemic Flu: Understanding the Threat (Dec. 20)