International Agencies Plan Joint Action against Bird Flu in the Americas

Experts call for strengthening links between animal and human health

Washington, D.C., March 7, 2006 (PAHO)—Regional representatives of key international agencies working on animal and human health in Latin America and the Caribbean met today at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to discuss joint action to prepare for the possibility of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus arriving in wild birds or poultry in the Americas.

"We are all concerned about the potential impact of H5N1 should it arrive in our region," said Dr. Carissa Etienne, PAHO's assistant director. "We are all keenly aware of the need to coordinate our efforts to ensure they are as effective as possible."

Participants in the PAHO meeting included representatives of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Their organizations formally agreed to collaborate closely on avian and pandemic influenza at a Hemispheric Conference on Avian Influenza in Brasilia in December, and work is proceeding on a joint strategy for a regional inter-agency response. OIE is coordinating these joint efforts through the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Trans-border Animal Diseases (GF-TADs).

"We are working together to strengthen our region's capacity for surveillance, early warning, laboratory diagnosis, and quick actions for containment, should it become necessary," said Dr. Albino Belotto, head of PAHO's Veterinary Public Health program. "Obviously, the more we prepare now, the better we will respond if and when highly pathogenic H5N1 reaches our region."

H5N1 avian influenza has now reached some 40 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa, half of them in the past four weeks. More than 150 million birds have died or been culled as a result of the virus, with economic losses in the billions of dollars.

"The consequences of H5N1 in the Americas region could be enormous," said Belotto. "Most of our member countries are heavily dependent on agriculture, and we have already seen the economic impact in other parts of the world. But if we collaborate and learn from experiences elsewhere, we can prevent or mitigate the effects of H5N1 should it arrive in poultry or wild birds here."

"This is not just a concern of the poultry industry," noted Dr. Luis Barcos, regional representative for the OIE in Latin America. "Chicken is a crucial source of protein in the Americas region. Moreover, there is a chain of other industries that could be adversely affected, from corn and soy producers to the food packing industry and retailers."

Participants in the meeting also discussed joint efforts in the area of pandemic preparedness. H5N1 has produced relatively few human cases (175 laboratory-confirmed cases) and remains difficult for humans to catch. Nearly all human illnesses have been traced to close contact with infected poultry, particularly slaughtering, butchering and defeathering at home. Experts in food safety from PAHO and the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasize that properly handled and cooked poultry meat is safe to consume even in countries where the virus has been detected.

"As long as H5N1 remains a bird virus, the threat to human health is not grave," said Etienne. "But influenza viruses change constantly, and the danger is that, in the future, it could evolve into a virus that is easily transmissible among humans."

"The more it spreads in birds internationally, the more opportunities it has to interact with animal and human hosts, increasing the chances it could evolve into a human pandemic virus," said Etienne. "No one knows if this will happen, or when, so it is critical to prepare for a potential human flu pandemic at the same time that we are working to prevent the spread of avian flu in birds."

PAHO has been providing assistance to its member countries on the development of national pandemic preparedness plans. In late February, experts in animal and human health and agriculture from Central America and the Dominican Republic met to assess and coordinate their national flu preparedness plans in a workshop financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Also in February, PAHO and the government of Trinidad and Tobago organized a three-day workshop on risk communication on avian and pandemic flu.

PAHO was established in 1902 and is the world's oldest public health organization. It works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and the quality of life of the people of the Americas.

Additional reading:

• PAHO web page on influenza
• WHO Handbook for Journalists: Influenza Pandemic
• Bird Flu: Communicating the Risk, article in Perspectives in Health magazine

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