sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
Asean agrees to stockpile anti-flu drug in Singapore
[SIZE=-1]APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL[/SIZE]
<!--img--><!--/img-->Asean has chosen Singapore to be the region's centre for stockpiling the antiviral drug oseltamivir as part of preparations for a possible human influenza pandemic. The decision comes as continuing avian influenza outbreaks remain a threat to the region.
Singapore was selected by a working group of Asean officials last month. Plans to stockpile the drug in Singapore will be discussed further by senior officials of the 10-member grouping at meetings on bird flu in Singapore and the Philippines next month, said Kamnuan Ungchusak, director of the Epidemiology Bureau.
Singapore was considered the most appropriate location for the central bank for the drug because the H5N1 strain of bird flu had not been found there.
Asean members were also confident the country would not have any ulterior motive for stockpiling the antiviral medicine, he said.
Thailand had previously stated its readiness to set up a regional bird flu control centre to improve surveillance and measures to contain the disease. Bangkok pressed its case by declaring a contribution of 35,000 oseltamivir tablets for the proposed medicine bank. The offer failed to draw majority support.
In 2005, Asean agreed in principle to set up a central bank for stockpiling antiviral drugs to treat bird flu, as a pre-emptive measure for a possible disease outbreak and human influenza pandemic.
Oseltamivir has been singled out by the World Health Organisation as its drug of choice to restrict the spread of human flu in the event of a pandemic.
But not every country in the region is able to stockpile the medicine because it is expensive and in high demand around the world.
The idea behind the regional centre is to stockpile oseltamivir in one place so the drug can be sent to any nation in the region facing an outbreak, and prevent the virus from spreading to neighbouring countries.
Dr Kamnuan said the setting up of the medicine bank was close to becoming a reality after Japan last year offered to contribute one million doses of oseltamivir for stockpiling in the region.
Japan also set aside US$135 million (4.7 billion baht) for Asean to develop a network of medication and surveillance systems to fight the deadly virus.
There have been 279 cases of human infection with the H5N1 virus in 12 countries since 2003, of which 169 have proven fatal, according to the latest World Health Organisation statistics _ including 17 deaths in Thailand.
A 32-year-old Indonesian man died from bird flu last Thursday in the most recent case of a human fatality from the virus.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/19Mar2007_news12.php
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[SIZE=-1]APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL[/SIZE]
<!--img--><!--/img-->Asean has chosen Singapore to be the region's centre for stockpiling the antiviral drug oseltamivir as part of preparations for a possible human influenza pandemic. The decision comes as continuing avian influenza outbreaks remain a threat to the region.
Singapore was selected by a working group of Asean officials last month. Plans to stockpile the drug in Singapore will be discussed further by senior officials of the 10-member grouping at meetings on bird flu in Singapore and the Philippines next month, said Kamnuan Ungchusak, director of the Epidemiology Bureau.
Singapore was considered the most appropriate location for the central bank for the drug because the H5N1 strain of bird flu had not been found there.
Asean members were also confident the country would not have any ulterior motive for stockpiling the antiviral medicine, he said.
Thailand had previously stated its readiness to set up a regional bird flu control centre to improve surveillance and measures to contain the disease. Bangkok pressed its case by declaring a contribution of 35,000 oseltamivir tablets for the proposed medicine bank. The offer failed to draw majority support.
In 2005, Asean agreed in principle to set up a central bank for stockpiling antiviral drugs to treat bird flu, as a pre-emptive measure for a possible disease outbreak and human influenza pandemic.
Oseltamivir has been singled out by the World Health Organisation as its drug of choice to restrict the spread of human flu in the event of a pandemic.
But not every country in the region is able to stockpile the medicine because it is expensive and in high demand around the world.
The idea behind the regional centre is to stockpile oseltamivir in one place so the drug can be sent to any nation in the region facing an outbreak, and prevent the virus from spreading to neighbouring countries.
Dr Kamnuan said the setting up of the medicine bank was close to becoming a reality after Japan last year offered to contribute one million doses of oseltamivir for stockpiling in the region.
Japan also set aside US$135 million (4.7 billion baht) for Asean to develop a network of medication and surveillance systems to fight the deadly virus.
There have been 279 cases of human infection with the H5N1 virus in 12 countries since 2003, of which 169 have proven fatal, according to the latest World Health Organisation statistics _ including 17 deaths in Thailand.
A 32-year-old Indonesian man died from bird flu last Thursday in the most recent case of a human fatality from the virus.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/19Mar2007_news12.php
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