World Not Fully Prepared for Flu Pandemic: Expert

This Reuters news service article presents the background for and the opinion of Julie Gerberding, director of the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on world preparedness for a flu pandemic, who states: "We are a long way from being fully prepared. We do not have a vaccine that will provide universal protection. We don't have surveillance in every country. We don't have control of the virus in animal reservoirs." The article focuses on Indonesia, which, as stated here, has had the highest number of human casualties (as of June 2008) from infection by the H5N1 avian influenza virus. It is reported to be reluctant to share virus samples and has changed its policy from case-by-case reporting of human deaths caused by the virus to announcing the death toll every six months. However, the article states that, despite the policy change, the Indonesian government has continued to announce avian flu deaths as they occur.


Gerberding is further quoted as saying, "Our preparedness is only as strong as its weakest link. It's imperative that every nation does its part to conduct its own surveillance and preparations and allow information to be shared in compliance with the WHO [World Health Organization] and international health regulations." She emphasises the importance of prompt documentation and information sharing according to these regulations, which require the 193 member states of the WHO, a United Nations agency, to report human cases of bird flu within 24 hours. In addition, as stated in the article, "Sharing of virus samples is important because experts can run tests to see if there are mutations in the virus, such as whether it may have become more transmissible among people and whether it may have become resistant to certain drugs. Such analyses will also track footprints of the virus, showing where it may have spread, so that measures can be taken to stop its geographical proliferation."