ASIA/W. PACIFIC - Health ministers gather for WHO meeting

[Theresa42]

Health ministers gather for WHO meeting
Sunday, 17 September 2006, 3:50 pm
Press Release: WHO

Health ministers gather for WHO?s annual Regional Committee Meeting

Auckland, New Zealand, 17 September 2006 ? Health ministers and representatives from 27 Western Pacific Member States will meet tomorrow in Auckland, for the 57th session of the World Health Organization?s Regional Committee Meeting for the Western Pacific.

For the third consecutive year, avian influenza will figure prominently at the meeting, which will run from Monday 18 September to Friday 22 September. Delegates will be told that with the A(H5N1) virus still claiming human lives in Indonesia and with fears that the disease may reappear across Asia and elsewhere in the cooler months in the northern hemisphere, fears of an influenza pandemic are undiminished.

WHO?s Western Pacific Region has been on the frontline of the fight against avian influenza since the virus reappeared in 2003. It has now spread to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, leading to the culling of millions of chickens, ducks and other domestic poultry. Most human infections have come from contact with diseased birds, but there have been a few cases of limited, inefficient human-to-human transmission.

Also on the agenda will be the growing threat from chronic noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular problems, cancer, chronic respiratory conditions and diabetes, which are by far the leading cause of death in the world. In the Western Pacific Region, noncommunicable diseases, notably heart problems and cancer, account for seven out of 10 deaths.

Other items for discussion will include:

? Progress towards voluntary implementation of provisions of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) prior to their enforcement in 2007.
? How to respond to the emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, which is able to fend off two longstanding frontline tuberculosis drugs.
? Prevention and control of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.
? A regional approach to the challenges posed by alcohol abuse.
? Human resources for health and the problem of the exodus of health workers to wealthier countries.
? Programme updates on measles and polio elimination and hepatitis B control, mental health, environmental health and tobacco control.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0609/S00192.htm

 

[Sally Furniss]

Pacific urged to improve bird flu plans

Pacific urged to improve bird flu plans

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/832651
Pacific urged to improve bird flu plans

Sep 19, 2006

The World Health Organization (WHO) urged small Pacific islands nations to do more to prepare emergency plans for a possible bird flu outbreak and human influenza pandemic, warning no nation could be immune.

WHO acting Western Pacific regional director Richard Nesbit said many countries did not currently have the capacity to deal with fast-breaking health threats, such as bird flu or a repeat of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

But he told a meeting of health authorities from Western Pacific nations, meeting in Auckland, that a speedy emergency response could be crucial in containing a pandemic.

"If rapid interventions are successful, the severe adverse health, social and economic consequences expected to result from a pandemic might be prevented," he said.

The WHO's Western Pacific meeting brings together some of the world's smallest island nations, alongside China, Japan, Australia, Singapore the Philippines and many Southeast Asian nations which have already suffered from bird flu outbreaks.

The WHO declared SARS to be contained in July 2003, but says the Asia-Pacific region remains the frontline against the deadly H5N1 avian flu, first detected in the region in 2003 and now well entrenched in poultry.

Since 2003, 246 people have contracted the virus in 10 countries, and 144 people have died.

But authorities are worried the virus will mutate into a kind that can be passed easily from human to human, resulting in a pandemic that could kill millions.

So far, Pacific Island nations have not suffered any cases of bird flu, but the virus has spread from Asia to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

WHO spokesman Peter Cordingley said the Auckland meeting spent some time discussing bird flu preparations, adding many countries did not have the money or resources to implement full emergency plans.

But he said it was crucial for all nations to understand the threat and that authorities believed the virus was being spread by either migratory birds or though the worldwide trade in poultry products.

He said no country could consider itself immune, and a potential pandemic could spread quickly to remote nations due to the speed of modern transport.

"It will travel at the speed of a 747 jet," Cordingley told Reuters from Auckland. "We're asking everybody to take precautions."

 

[Sally Furniss]

Australia and New Zealand committed over $10.3million ($A8m) to help Pacific nations

Australia and New Zealand committed over $10.3million ($A8m) to help Pacific nations

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=48630
Pacific Island Countries and territories are "unprepared" in the event of introduction of either bird flu or SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) into the region, regional expert Dr Ken Cokanasiga warned.

But all is not doom and gloom for the region as Australia and New Zealand have jointly committed over $10.3million ($A8m) to help Pacific nations set up emergency response plans to counter any pandemic.

The work is being managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

Dr Cokanasiga told Pacnews the four-year Pacific Regional Influenza Preparedness Project (PRIPPS) would work to set up emergency response units.