UN Prepares for Avian Flu Pandemic Threat, Dr. David Nabarro to Lead Coordination

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Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 01 Oct 2005 - 14:00 PDT

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Dr. David Nabarro is one of the most senior public health experts around. He has just been appointed by the UN General Secretary to lead the UN's avian influenza response team and prepare for a possible, most agencies say impending, influenza pandemic. He is now the Senior UN system Co-ordinator for Avian and Human Influenza.

As more and more health experts around the world talk about an impending influenza pandemic which 'could kill 150 million people', it is crucial that agencies all over the world take steps to reduce the risk and get prepared, says the World Health Organization.

The WHO has sent detailed guidance to all countries on actions they need to take now. In order to carry out these actions to their fullest advantage good coordination is required across UN agencies, countries, civil society, across sectors within nations and the private sector. The United Nations says all this requires funding.

Dr. Nabarro will have to ensure an effective and coordinated contribution by the UN to control the current avian influenza outbreak (some are calling it an epidemic) that is affecting some countries in Asia. He will also get the UN system to support effective, local, national, regional and global preparations for a potential human influenza pandemic (bird flu that is transmitted from human-to-human).

WHO Director General, Dr. Lee Jong-Wook said, "The WHO has been very clear about the imminent threat of a human influenza pandemic. The world is responding, and is moving quickly to get prepared. However, coordination of these efforts is critical to ensure all stakeholders are giving the best of what they have to offer, and that countries receive the support they urgently require."

Dr. Nabarro is from the UK and has 30 years experience which includes work in community-level and government health programmes, much of it in Asia. He has held several leadership positions within the World Health Organization.

The WHO warns that the current avian flu virus, H5N1, will probably change into a form which spreads easily from human-to-human. Humans do not have a natural immunity to this virus. If the mutated virus spreads rapidly the result could be widespread death in a massive scale as well as social and economic disruption.

Already there have been some cases of healthcare professionals becoming infected by patients who themselves were infected with avian influenza. So, the virus already has a limited capacity to jump from human-to-human. So far, there have been no reported cases of the virus then going on to infect other humans outside the hospitals where the healthcare professionals got infected.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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