U.N. Leader Outlines Bird Flu Fight Strategy

Stockpiling won't be sufficient, Annan says in laying out seven-point plan

THURSDAY, Nov. 3, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Calling the threat of a human pandemic of avian influenza "an extraordinary collective challenge" for all countries, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday outlined a seven-point strategy to prepare for and curb the spread of any future outbreak.

He and other leaders -- including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Microsoft mogul Bill Gates -- also applauded this week's announcement by the Bush Administration of a $7 billion strategy to cope with any potential global bird flu pandemic from the current H5N1 strain. Experts estimate that such a pandemic could cost the lives of millions worldwide.

"Whatever we may not know about the future course of H5N1, we do know this: Once human-to-human transmission has been established, we would only have a matter of weeks to lock down the spread before it spins out of control," Annan told attendees at the three-day Time Global Health Summit in New York City. "And we must be honest and admit to ourselves that merely stockpiling antiviral medicines does not constitute a strategy to fight avian flu."

Instead, the U.N. leader outlined his seven-point plan for preventing, detecting and minimizing any human-to-human outbreak of H5N1, which has been transmitted from infected birds to humans, killing 62 people in Asia.

The plan encompasses:

  • Improving bird monitoring. This means increasing investment in typically underfunded veterinary services and compensating farmers for culled flocks should avian cases emerge, Annan said. "If they are not compensated, they are not going to tell you when their birds are sick," he added.
  • Focusing research on human-animal contacts. Living in close proximity to poultry and other livestock is a way of life for many of the world's poor, Annan said. "We must find ways to structure that coexistence [more safely], or we'll never be able to stop viruses from migrating from animals to us," he added.
  • Minimizing a pandemic's impact. "Identifying what is needed to keep communities and countries running, should our fears materialize," will be key to limiting the damage from any viral outbreak, the U.N. leader said.
  • Ensuring access to medicines. Scaling up production of antivirals and then efficiently linking production with distribution networks worldwide could save millions of lives, according to Annan.
  • Facilitating speedy vaccine discovery. Annan praised Bush's commitment this week to "modern cell-based technology" that can accelerate flu vaccine discovery. And he stressed that if human-to-human transmission does emerge, those working on a vaccine must also overcome "individual national interests, and work collectively in our common cause."
  • Communicating effectively. "We must make full use of modern technology and culture to communicate vital facts about the virus and what people can do about it," Annan said. This would include all media -- from print, radio and television to e-mail and even mobile phone text-messaging.
  • Exercising political leadership. "We need a clear commitment from the top to ensure coordination and response," in the event of a crisis, Annan said. He said the U.N.'s Senior Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, Dr. David Nabarro, will be a key "point of contact" for governments seeking information and advice.

Clinton and Gates -- both major philanthropists focused on issues of global health -- were asked in a joint interview at the summit late Wednesday about their views of pandemic preparations and the planned U.S. strategy.

The $7.1 billion White House plan, outlined in detail on Wednesday, includes manufacturing enough vaccine to protect 20 million Americans in the event of an outbreak and stockpiling up to 81 million courses of antivirals over the next two years.

"The President's first responsibility is to the American people," Clinton said. "We do have serious vaccine shortages generally. I remember [that] late in my second term, I spent a whole day working on biological dangers to America, the possibility of biological warfare, terrorist acts. And I was shocked by what had happened to a lot of the vaccine stores, and how ill-prepared we were."

Gates added that research earmarked for H5N1 vaccine might yield unexpected benefits. "Hopefully, out of the research that gets funded here, we can have a flu vaccine that works against all forms, [an] approach that would save a lot of lives," he said. "Flu kills a lot of people in the world at large every year."

Clinton said he remains hopeful that any flu pandemic would be less devastating than the last major outbreak -- 1918's Spanish flu, which claimed up to 100 million lives worldwide.

"We know generally how to try and develop an effective vaccine, and we're much more sensitive to the preventive measures," he said. "So, I'm personally glad my government is trying to deal with this before it hits here and we have people dying."

More information

For more on avian flu, head to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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