PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNITED NATIONS COORDINATOR FOR AVIAN AND HUMAN INFLUENZA

Avian influenza and preparedness for a flu pandemic would continue to be a major health issue around the world, for the next 5 to 10 years, as the world introduced changes in veterinary care and poultry rearing practices, said David Nabarro, Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, speaking today at a Headquarters press conference, one year since he started his job as Coordinator.

Dr. Nabarro, who is responsible for ensuring an effective and coordinated United Nations contribution to the global control of the avian and human influenza, said that the influenza pandemic warnings issued last year were not “overblown”.  Responding to a correspondent’s question, he said that the United Nations would remain vigilant.  “One of the difficult challenges in public health is that when we are saying something bad will happen, whether it was in the 1980s with HIV/AIDS, and more recently with the potential pandemic, and if that bad thing does not happen in the near future as we said, people are prone to say it was exaggerated,” he added.

The H5N1 virus, or “bird flu”, was infecting poultry all over the world (except for the Western Hemisphere), it was highly pathogenic, and it could survive in birds without showing symptoms, he said.  The virus could mutate to a form where it could cause an influenza pandemic, by allowing spread of the disease from human to human.  To date, human infections had been linked only to contact with infected birds, he explained.

There had been a good response from world leaders to avian influenza, and that response could have well reduced the probability of a flu pandemic, he said.  More than 30 countries had reported outbreaks in 2006, and the rate of human deaths was distressingly high, with 150 human deaths and 220 known human infections since 2003.  But, international health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), and worldwide efforts by governments, had stemmed the spread of the disease.

Avian flu spread among birds could only be stemmed with close surveillance of the bird populations, and quick and coordinated actions between governments and local communities when outbreaks started, he said.  Governments needed help to boost national health preparedness, so they could better identify disease reports and mobilize national resources at the start of a pandemic.

He said he was comforted by the quick reaction from governments, the United Nations, scientific groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private companies, and the media, and how they had worked together with a commitment he had never seen before on any other issue.  Among the practices that had contributed to the containment of the disease around the world had been an end to trade in infected birds and the culling of birds where there had been outbreaks.

Reporting on a recent visit to Southeast Asia, Australia and Myanmar, where the disease had struck hard, he said the region was working towards being well prepared in case of a flu pandemic.  In Cambodia, where 30 out of 33 provinces had had flu outbreaks, the situation was “intense”, but the Government had reacted effectively.  In Viet Nam and Thailand, there had been strong success in curtailing the infection, but the situation remained delicate.  In Myanmar, where there had been intense outbreaks early this year, the Government had worked effectively with the international community to stop the spread and was ready for any future outbreaks.  There had been improved surveillance of the poultry population in the cities and rural areas of China, and the region had conducted several pandemic preparedness exercises, including in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Viet Nam and Myanmar.

Concerns remained, however, over Africa’s capacities to deal with avian influenza, he said.  Those concerns and proposed responses would be considered during a regional health meeting in Bamako, Mali in the near future.  Among the problems confronting Africa were high density of poultry populations, inadequate veterinary infrastructure and bad communications.  Egypt was one country in the region that had effectively dealt with an influenza outbreak because it had good policies in place.  Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, although facing some problem with infrastructure, had been able to quell outbreaks because of quick responses.

Conflict had had an impact on completing anti-flu campaigns, pointing to the Sudan and Somalia, where outbreaks took longer to control because of problems in reaching the affected areas.  Africa, in general, needed international financial assistance to upgrade its veterinary services, he said.

Answering questions about how migrating birds could bring the H5N1 virus to the Western Hemisphere, he said that, at the moment, monitoring programmes in the region had not found many birds carrying the virus.  Initially, scientists believed that the virus could be carried by migrating birds from Siberia on their way to Alaska.  But, the region should remain on guard, especially within the next two months, as the pattern of migration from Siberia to Alaska was in effect.  The hemisphere’s high density of poultry farms could make an outbreak in the region a nightmare.  All it could take was one infected bird passing the virus on to birds on a farm.

There was no seasonal link to the flu pandemic, he replied to another question.

Dr. Nabarro was named to his post in September 2005.  He is responsible for ensuring that the United Nations system makes an effective and coordinated contribution to the global control of the avian and human influenza.

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For information media • not an official record