Experts from 85 countries have agreed to the USA’s proposal to cooperate more fully in trying to contain bird flu. Only by containing the spread of bird flu, and also the spread of a possible eventual human-to-human contagion, can we have any hope of battling a looming pandemic, said one official.
Health experts discussed how to pull resources and respond to a real global threat of a flu pandemic if the current H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus mutates.
The USA put forward some steps that all countries should take. These include:
— Transparency in reporting potential outbreaks of the disease
— Instant sharing of epidemiological data and samples with WHO
— Prompt coordination of resource allocations (bilateral and multilateral)
— Continuous testing of samples of the virus to monitor its evolution closely. The data to be shared immediately and openly.
If the H5N1 virus were to mutate and become transmissible from human-to-human the consequences for world health, social and economic stability, could be devastating.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today