Media critical in fight to prevent pandemic flu

[Snowy Owl]

Media critical in fight to prevent pandemic flu
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_38290.html

Japan supports high-level UNICEF seminars in Europe and Central Asia
<!-- start rss blurbGENEVA, 13 February 2007 - As the threat of bird flu once again confronts Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF is holding a series of high-level symposia on pandemic flu with...end rss blurb --><!-- start body text -->GENEVA, 13 February 2007​

As the threat of bird flu once again confronts Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF is holding a series of high-level symposia on pandemic flu with the generous backing of the Government of Japan.
​

While Avian Influenza ? or bird flu ? is now better understood, most countries of the former Soviet bloc would not be ready for a full-scale pandemic (human-to-human transmission).

Seven of the nine H5N1 deaths in the region have been children, so getting the right message to families is critical.

The three day seminars ? involving representatives from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan ? will press home the need to place communication on a par with epidemiological training in national preparedness plans.

The symposia take place within the framework of the UN System Influenza Coordinator (UNSIC) in close collaboration with WHO, World Bank, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and other partners.

?Preparedness and timeliness are watchwords in the fight to contain and confront Avian and Pandemic Influenza,? said Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS). ?We are very grateful to the Government of Japan for making these most important symposia possible.?

Ministers, deputy ministers and their press officers will be attending the symposia.

On the final day, decision-makers in the media ? owners, managers, editors and journalists ? will be invited to take part.

Relations between the media and many governments of the region suffer from a post-Soviet legacy of mistrust and lack of transparency, often compounded by less desirable effects of the free market. A ?meet the media? session will underscore the necessity for a clear, open and honest relationship between government and media and the important part the media has to play in the event of a national health emergency.

The seminars will cover both internal and external crisis communication flows and communication chains of command within government and within a country.

They will draw on lessons learnt from the BSE (mad cow) and foot and mouth crises in the UK and the current bird flu outbreak there, among others.

UNICEF will be urging governments to test their communication machine when undertaking broader nationwide simulation exercises for pandemic influenza.

***
About UNICEF

UNICEF is on the ground in 156 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world?s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.