PAHO Offers New Regional Plan for Pandemic Flu

The Pan American Health Organization's Communicable Diseases unit, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of experts, has developed a plan for a regional approach to preparedness and response in case of an influenza pandemic.

PAHO's Task Force on Epidemic, Alert and Response has met several times to discuss the Strategic and Operational Plan for Responding to Pandemic Influenza for PAHO and its member countries, and an external advisory group of experts on avian and human influenza provided feedback on the plan.

Otavio Oliva, PAHO's regional advisor on viral diseases, presented the plan at a special briefing for the PAHO Directing Council in September. He provided delegates with an update on the spread of the H5N1 virus and emphasized that a human pandemic could occur at any time, with potentially catastrophic consequences. However, he also said, "With this advance warning, we have a unique opportunity to prepare."

The PAHO plan takes a multisectoral, phase-specific approach to planning for an influenza pandemic, based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Influenza Preparedness Plan. The PAHO plan proposes activities to be carried out both before and in the event of a pandemic. It emphasizes the need for joint action among authorities in health, agriculture, emergency response, and other sectors, as well as with civil society and the private sector.

In the pre-pandemic phase, PAHO will work with its member countries to:

Promote the development of national pandemic preparedness plans
Strengthen early warning systems
Promote local availability of a pandemic vaccine and antiviral drugs
Plan for health care services and infection control
Reduce opportunities for human infection
Develop pandemic communication plans and raise awareness of the pandemic threat
Estimate the potential impact of an influenza pandemic and assess information gaps
Build partnerships and strategic alliances to support an effective response.

Should a pandemic virus emerge, PAHO will work at the regional and country levels to contain or delay the early spread of the virus. In the event of a full-scale pandemic, the plan proposes actions to reduce morbidity, mortality, and social disruption through coordinated action with PAHO's member countries and with WHO.

Albino Belotto, head of PAHO's Veterinary Public Health Program, noted that the PAHO plan includes actions to strengthen animal surveillance and encourage safe poultry farming practices in the region.

PAHO Assistant Director Carissa Etienne said that, given the potential impact of a flu pandemic and the uncertainty about its timing, "we must act today as if the pandemic could start tomorrow." She noted that many member countries have requested assistance in this area, and she called on all PAHO Member States to undertake pandemic planning and to share their plans with one another to strengthen these efforts.

Media Center — Press Releases - Perspectives in Health Magazine - PAHO Today - Video - Radio - Photos - Speakers Bureau - Contact Us

	The Pan American Health Organization Promoting Health in the Americas