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G-8, international health officials warn of potential bird flu pandemic

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  • G-8, international health officials warn of potential bird flu pandemic

    G-8, international health officials warn of potential bird flu pandemic

    http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=cp_health_home&articleID=2243851

    MOSCOW (AP) - Top Group of Eight and international health officials on Friday urged greater efforts to prepare for the possibility of a global human flu pandemic stemming from H5N1 bird flu. At a meeting in Moscow ahead of the G8 summit, which Russia will host in July, the G8 health officials said that a parallel strategy is required to both stop the spread of the deadly bird flu as well as make contingency plans for a global pandemic.

    Bird flu has killed at least 113 people since it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in 2003.
    "The danger is that when this virus changes enough to be transmitted from human to human, at that moment there may not be an effective enough way of treating people having this disease," Russian Health Minister Mikhail Zurabov said.

    "The danger (of a pandemic) has recently been growing," he said.

    In a joint statement, the senior G8 health officials said that "priority efforts" should focus on early detection and control of H5N1 as well as well on the prevention of and preparedness for a potential human influenza pandemic.

    "We noted with concern the increasing spread of highly pathenogic avian influenza, we discussed the possible development of a human influenza pandemic that would severely affect all countries of the world," they said.

    U.S. Health Secretary Mike Leavitt told The Associated Press that scientists and health officials were unable to make predictions about a possible pandemic, but that it was important to start addressing the problem.

    "If person-to-person transmission of avian influenza occurs anywhere, there is danger everywhere and we all need to work to assure that we know it as soon as possible . . . so that we can protect our citizens," Leavitt said.

    "We are overdue for a pandemic, but we are also underprepared and so our efforts to create a global monitoring network are of major importance," he said.There have been three pandemics in the past century, the most deadly being the 1918 Spanish flu that killed millions around the world.
    There have been three pandemics in the past century, the most deadly being the 1918 Spanish flu that killed millions around the world.

    The Russian health minister urged the international community to create a global system for monitoring flu outbreaks in connection with bird flu as well as increase efforts to stem the spread of HIV and AIDS.

    He also proposed developing a global information and analysis system to monitor infectious diseases, as well as setting up an international bank of anti-viral drugs.

    Zurabov said that Russia is now conducting clinical tests on two vaccines for bird flu, storing anti-flu medicine and preparing hospital beds.
    But Leavitt warned that "what makes the H5N1 virus dangerous is that there is no human immunity, which means as well that there is a limited capacity to offer medicines to remedy it."

    The head of the UN World Health Organization, Lee Jong-wook, said that a whole package of measures are needed.
    "What we need is a complete plan, a complete preparedness rather than . . . a reliance on or a belief in one drug, one medicine," he said.

    He also called on the international community to commit to investing $4 billion US in the global effort to eradicate polio.

    "Polio shows us that infectious diseases must be tackled globally, otherwise they will spread back again," he said.

    Peter Piot of UNAIDS emphasized the importance of joining efforts to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS. "We truly stand at the crossroads . . . we can move from pure crisis management to a long-term strategic response," he said.


    <center>&#169; The Canadian Press, 2006</center>
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