Keeping Avian Flu from Taking Flight

This article discusses the importance of regional cooperation and coordination in dealing with outbreaks of avian influenza. It chronicles Dr. Bina Rubinovitch, an Israeli expert in infectious diseases who was part of a team of six professionals sent, by the World Health Organization (WHO), to Turkey to assist with combating and controlling the spread of avian flu in that country. The team was part of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), a collaboration of existing institutions and networks that pool technical and human resources to keep the international community aware and alert to the threat of outbreaks.

The success of the GOARN team was largely attributed to the importance that was placed on regional cooperation, information sharing and communication, as well as to the importance placed on matching the real needs of the country with the skills of the people chosen to go.

According to WHO European Regional Director Marc Danson, the WHO was pleased with how the Turkish government worked with the GOARN team to manage the bird flu crisis. He later went on to say that "the main way to control the outbreak and hopefully to stop any further outbreaks was through information campaigns ensuring that everyone knew the risks."