Int'l bird flu experts meet in Sweden

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Int'l bird flu experts meet in Sweden
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Brussels (VNA) - Experts and officials on bird flu from the European Union, the United Nations and 48 European countries have convened in Uppsala, Sweden, to review Europe's preparedness for a possible bird flu pandemic.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]At the opening session on May 15, health officials said that the spread of bird flu in Europe and Africa is likely to slow down over the summer months, but the threat of a global pandemic will not decrease.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The three-day conference will also discuss the increase of stockpiling antiviral drugs.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]An international symposium on bird flu will be held in Roma, Italy, on May 30 and 31 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The symposium is to share information on bird flu and the role of wild birds in spreading the disease and assess the necessary precautions.[/FONT]

 

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Re: Int'l bird flu experts meet in Sweden

[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] UPPSALA, Sweden (Dow Jones)--European Union Director Hubert Hrabcik Monday said the E.U. has to create private-public partnerships to manage a possible outbreak of bird flu in Europe.

Speaking at a joint workshop between the European Commission, the European Center for Disease Prevention and World Health Organization in Uppsala, Sweden, Hrabcik said industry will only be a winner if a possible flu pandemic is stopped as quickly as possible.

Hrabcik, who is the Director General of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Women, Austrian Presidency of the E.U., said the organizations need to focus on researching new antiviral vaccines in a coordinated way and updating plans in case of a resistance of an antiviral drug.

Hrabcik said nearly all European countries have now finished their national preparation plans and they now have to focus on international collaborations.

Problems such as the distribution of medical supplies, creating immunization preparedness without currently having a commercially available vaccine and the lack of supply of anti viral drugs such as Tamiflu, will be discussed during the three-day workshop.

The realization of public health interventions in large cities and how to manage a worldwide pandemic flu outbreak under modern travel connections are also problems which need to be addressed, Hrabcik said.

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