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PROMOTE EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES IN ADDRESSING AVIAN February's
17, 2006
CARICOM countries have been challenged to use scientific guidelines provided by regional and international organisations in developing and supporting appropriate contingency plans for coping with avian and or pandemic influenza.
Veterinary Public Health Advisor with the Office of Caribbean Program Coordination, Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), Dr. Lloyd Webb, made this call recently as he addressed a special three-day workshop on ?Risk, Crisis and Pre-crisis Communication of Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza?, in Trinidad and Tobago.
It is jointly sponsored by that Government and PAHO at Kapok Hotel, Port of Spain.
While commending the organisers of the workshop, Dr. Webb, who is based at the Barbados PAHO office, said it was ?the first of its kind? in the Western Hemisphere and emphasised the importance of such inter-sectoral coordination among national, sub-regional and international partners.
?The alliance is critical to success in early detection in this part of the world and to rapid response and containment of the disease,? he said. He added that it would almost certainly result in introducing measures that would not only help prevent the introduction of the disease, but also control its spread and contribute to disease eradication, through well designed pandemic influenza preparedness plans.
Participants were also reminded that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had urged countries, in July 2005, to strengthen their national capacities to greater detect and prepare for rapid response, when clear signs suggested the presence of avian influenza. ?Any signs, consistent with the presentation of suspect birds, must be acted upon urgently,? said Dr. Webb.
Citing some of the recent experiences arising from false alarms of bird flu in Trinidad and Tobago, later diagnosed as aspergillosis, a condition that is not harmful to humans, the veterinary advisor noted that: ?Rumours have been viewed as signs that require action by national authorities, but the caution in using rumours for carrying out further investigation is related to the need to ensure that any actions taken are responsible.
One is dealing with a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that causes high mortality in domestic poultry and has the potential to result in severe catastrophic effects on the poultry industry and can certainly generate responses that, if not well thought out, could lead to panic and severe political and economic fall-out in the Caribbean.?
The PAHO advisor also highlighted the need for veterinarians to be seen as first line defenders in the fight against avian influenza, in collaboration with the farming community and the rest of the sector. He advised: ?They must bring on board, as time goes on, many others such as hunters, wild fowl trust associations and game wardens. All must be vigilant in looking for signs of the disease from poultry farms to swamps and other water courses, where we believe that wild migratory birds are known to roost.?
The threat of avian influenza to CARICOM was also acknowledged against the backdrop of the experience of Mexico in late December 2005, and Dr. Webb reiterated the need to strengthen national capacities to detect and respond to early signals of a potential human pandemic. In this light, he suggested strengthening surveillance measures, increasing stakeholders? awareness and education while recognising that stakeholders may include a wide range of farmers, veterinarians, animal health assistants and other agriculturists, health workers, industry personnel and the wider community itself.
PAHO?s hosting of the workshop in collaboration with Trinidad & Tobago represented yet another effort at preparing health and agriculture personnel in the region to better prepare to cope with any crisis or pre-crises conditions related to avian influenza. Dr. Webb explained that in recent times, ministers and representatives of poultry and live-stock boards in the western hemisphere, had joined forces with international organisations such as WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), IICA and Animal Health Code (OIE) and the CARICOM Secretariat to strategise on appropriate actions to combat avian influenza.
In November 2005, PAHO also successfully designed draft guidelines and a checklist for use by national authorities. While the list is to be finalized and sent to CARICOM states for use, it is currently on PAHO?s website.
The following month, there was a hemispheric conference on the surveillance and prevention of avian influenza in Brasilia, where participants identified a total of 17 elements that are critical to the prevention and control of avian influenza.
According to Dr. Webb, these include: strengthening and accreditation of the veterinary services infrastructure; epidemiological surveillance; laboratory diagnosis (with inclusion of antigen production and the movement of samples); identification of reference laboratories; compensation and risk communications, to name some. This conference also addressed issues related to the strict adherence to the OIE of the WHO, and to other recommendations proposed by the FAO.
Earlier this month, in Argentina, the Inter-American committee on Avian Health (CISA) agreed to a strategy for preventing the introduction of avian influenza into the region of the Americas, and detailed actions to be taken at the country and regional levels. The actions have been compatible with those previously recommended by PAHO/WHO, OIE and FAO.
17, 2006
CARICOM countries have been challenged to use scientific guidelines provided by regional and international organisations in developing and supporting appropriate contingency plans for coping with avian and or pandemic influenza.
Veterinary Public Health Advisor with the Office of Caribbean Program Coordination, Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), Dr. Lloyd Webb, made this call recently as he addressed a special three-day workshop on ?Risk, Crisis and Pre-crisis Communication of Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza?, in Trinidad and Tobago.
It is jointly sponsored by that Government and PAHO at Kapok Hotel, Port of Spain.
While commending the organisers of the workshop, Dr. Webb, who is based at the Barbados PAHO office, said it was ?the first of its kind? in the Western Hemisphere and emphasised the importance of such inter-sectoral coordination among national, sub-regional and international partners.
?The alliance is critical to success in early detection in this part of the world and to rapid response and containment of the disease,? he said. He added that it would almost certainly result in introducing measures that would not only help prevent the introduction of the disease, but also control its spread and contribute to disease eradication, through well designed pandemic influenza preparedness plans.
Participants were also reminded that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had urged countries, in July 2005, to strengthen their national capacities to greater detect and prepare for rapid response, when clear signs suggested the presence of avian influenza. ?Any signs, consistent with the presentation of suspect birds, must be acted upon urgently,? said Dr. Webb.
Citing some of the recent experiences arising from false alarms of bird flu in Trinidad and Tobago, later diagnosed as aspergillosis, a condition that is not harmful to humans, the veterinary advisor noted that: ?Rumours have been viewed as signs that require action by national authorities, but the caution in using rumours for carrying out further investigation is related to the need to ensure that any actions taken are responsible.
One is dealing with a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that causes high mortality in domestic poultry and has the potential to result in severe catastrophic effects on the poultry industry and can certainly generate responses that, if not well thought out, could lead to panic and severe political and economic fall-out in the Caribbean.?
The PAHO advisor also highlighted the need for veterinarians to be seen as first line defenders in the fight against avian influenza, in collaboration with the farming community and the rest of the sector. He advised: ?They must bring on board, as time goes on, many others such as hunters, wild fowl trust associations and game wardens. All must be vigilant in looking for signs of the disease from poultry farms to swamps and other water courses, where we believe that wild migratory birds are known to roost.?
The threat of avian influenza to CARICOM was also acknowledged against the backdrop of the experience of Mexico in late December 2005, and Dr. Webb reiterated the need to strengthen national capacities to detect and respond to early signals of a potential human pandemic. In this light, he suggested strengthening surveillance measures, increasing stakeholders? awareness and education while recognising that stakeholders may include a wide range of farmers, veterinarians, animal health assistants and other agriculturists, health workers, industry personnel and the wider community itself.
PAHO?s hosting of the workshop in collaboration with Trinidad & Tobago represented yet another effort at preparing health and agriculture personnel in the region to better prepare to cope with any crisis or pre-crises conditions related to avian influenza. Dr. Webb explained that in recent times, ministers and representatives of poultry and live-stock boards in the western hemisphere, had joined forces with international organisations such as WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), IICA and Animal Health Code (OIE) and the CARICOM Secretariat to strategise on appropriate actions to combat avian influenza.
In November 2005, PAHO also successfully designed draft guidelines and a checklist for use by national authorities. While the list is to be finalized and sent to CARICOM states for use, it is currently on PAHO?s website.
The following month, there was a hemispheric conference on the surveillance and prevention of avian influenza in Brasilia, where participants identified a total of 17 elements that are critical to the prevention and control of avian influenza.
According to Dr. Webb, these include: strengthening and accreditation of the veterinary services infrastructure; epidemiological surveillance; laboratory diagnosis (with inclusion of antigen production and the movement of samples); identification of reference laboratories; compensation and risk communications, to name some. This conference also addressed issues related to the strict adherence to the OIE of the WHO, and to other recommendations proposed by the FAO.
Earlier this month, in Argentina, the Inter-American committee on Avian Health (CISA) agreed to a strategy for preventing the introduction of avian influenza into the region of the Americas, and detailed actions to be taken at the country and regional levels. The actions have been compatible with those previously recommended by PAHO/WHO, OIE and FAO.
