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WHO warns of new pandemic
- On 18/11/2011
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged the international community to step up global efforts to fight future pandemics, warning another outbreak is just a matter of time.
Over 100 international health experts from some 30 countries converged on Mexico City this week to discuss how authorities can help stave-off another animal to human epidemic spreading over the world.
Headed by the WHO and with the support of Mexico's government, the three-day conference entitled "Health Risks in Human-Animal Ecosystems" aims to establish a co-ordinated globalresponse to deal better with future outbreaks and human infections from animal species.
With a stark warning for conference participants that another deadly pandemic is a matter of when and not if, WHO Assistant Director-General of Health Security and Environment Keiji Fukuda urged the world to speed up efforts on an action plan against future contagion.
"We do face the risk of another pandemic in the future. We know that the viruses which can cause influenza pandemic circulate in animals and then we don't know when one of those viruses then becomes highly infectious for people and then spreads around the world. We also don't know when something like that happens, which we do expect in the future someday, when something like that happens we don't know how severe the effect will be," he said.
With recent Swine Flu and Bird Flu outbreaks originating in developing countries, the focus of the conference has been on how to equip impoverished countries better with the necessary resources to handle and contain the transmission of diseases from animal to person.
Only a joint effort can stop an epidemic in a developing country from spreading.
Warning that first world countries are not immune from future pandemics, Director of Animal Protection and Health at the Food and Agriculture Organisation Bethe Tekola said that only a joint effort can stop an epidemic in a developing country from spreading.
"So the reason why we are focusing on developing countries is that the lion's share of the problem is there and if we don't really reply, if we don't reply and if we don't really support them to solve their problem tomorrow, those problems will be in developed countries," said Tekola.
No stranger to contagion, megalopolis Mexico City came to a standstill in 2009 as it battled to stop the deadly Swine Flu virus from spreading. Costing the country's economy millions in lost activity and decimating its tourist industry, Mexico has since led efforts to raise global awareness of the dangers of an unprepared outbreak.
"Mexico has been affected by influenza and the way they managed was wonderful and the tri-partite group has agreed to conduct it in Mexico," added Tekola. Surveillance for and scrutiny of influenza has been stepped up recent years globally since bird flu reappeared in Asia.
Experts fear that or another strain could cause a pandemic that could kill millions and would be a major blow to a world economy already suffering its worst crisis in decades.
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