North American Leaders Prepare for Avian Flu Pandemic

[Treyfish]

22 August 2007
North American Leaders Prepare for Avian Flu Pandemic

New plan outlines collaborative approach, coordinated action among nations
By Cheryl Pellerin
USINFO Staff Writer


<!--startphoto--> China's Shijiazhuang Epidemic Prevention Station conducts a drill to prepare for a possible avian influenza pandemic. (? AP Images)


<!--endphoto-->Washington -- As the human toll from avian influenza rises to 321 cases, with 194 deaths worldwide, leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico have released a plan that outlines how the three countries will work together if the highly pathogenic virus makes its way to North America.
In a joint statement released during the August 20-21 North American Leaders? Summit in Montebello, Quebec, Canada, President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calder?n announced the completion of the North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza.
?Neighbours help each other in times of distress,? they said in a statement. ?Our governments have worked together to address how we might better prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters -- either natural or man-made -- by developing a common approach to all aspects of emergency management.?
The plan is part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America, a trilateral effort launched in March 2005 to increase security and enhance prosperity in Canada, Mexico and the United States through greater cooperation and information sharing.
At the March 2006 SPP summit in Cancun, Mexico, the nations? leaders committed to developing a comprehensive, coordinated and science-based North American approach to prepare for and manage avian and pandemic flu.
?The North American plan is an example of how we can work together to more efficiently and effectively protect our three countries against the threat of pandemic influenza,? Paula Dobriansky, under secretary of state for democracy and global affairs, told USINFO August 21. ?It would be much harder, if not impossible, to be similarly effective on our own.?
TRANSCENDING NATIONAL BORDERS
The 44-page document complements national emergency management plans and builds on core principles of the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, the standards and guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health and the World Health Organization, including the revised International Health Regulations (IHRs).
The IHRs are legally binding rules adopted by most countries to contain disease threats that could spread rapidly from country to country.
Such diseases include emerging infections like a new human flu virus or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which caused a major epidemic between November 2002 and July 2003, with more than 8,000 known cases and 774 deaths.
Threats also could come from chemical spills, leaks and dumping or nuclear accidents.
<!--startphoto--> President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Montebello, Canada. (? AP Images)


<!--endphoto-->The newest IHR revision, completed in 2005, updated the 1969 IHR, which addressed only four diseases -- cholera, plague, yellow fever and smallpox, a disease that has been eradicated.
The North American plan offers a framework for accomplishing the following goals:
? Detecting, containing and controlling an avian flu outbreak and preventing transmission to people.
? Preventing or slowing the entry of a novel strain of human flu to North America.
? Minimizing illness and death.
? Sustaining infrastructure and mitigating the impact to the economy and to society.
COORDINATED APPROACH
The plan describes the organizational emergency management frameworks in each country and how the countries will coordinate activities. It addresses animal and public health issues, including notification, surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory practices, vaccines and anti-virals, personnel, stockpiles of vaccines and drugs, and public health measures.
It also addresses border and transportation issues, including containment measures for air travel, maritime travel and land border crossings.
A series of layered, collaborative measures among the three countries could slow the spread of a new flu strain, providing valuable time to mobilize resources, coordinate responses and mitigate illness and death.
The plan extends beyond the health sector to include a coordinated approach to protecting critical infrastructure, including recognizing the importance of business continuity planning and interdependencies among sectors.
The full text of the plan is available on the State Department Web site.
The full text of the leaders' joint statement is available on the White House Web site.
For more information on U.S. and international efforts to combat avian influenza, see Bird Flu.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/di...ellep0.8206293
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[Niko]

Re: North American Leaders Prepare for Avian Flu Pandemic

Fact Sheet
Under Secretary for Demcracy and Global Affairs
Washington, DC
August 17, 2007

Combatting Avian Flu in North America: The North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza


PDF version

?Canada, Mexico and the United States face a growing threat posed by the spread of avian influenza and the potential emergence of a human influenza pandemic?While the virus has not yet reached North America, the three countries must be prepared for the day when it?or some other highly contagious virus?does.? ? North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza

The North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza was announced by the Presidents of the United States and Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada on August 21, 2007 in Montebello, Canada, at the North American Leaders Summit. The Plan was developed as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP). The SPP is a trilateral effort launched in March 2005 to increase security and enhance prosperity in Canada, Mexico and the United States through greater cooperation and information sharing. The three nations are working together through the SPP to prepare for a threat that could disrupt our economies and cause widespread illness and death if it reaches our shores: highly pathogenic avian influenza?or bird flu?and the potential emergence of a human influenza pandemic.

Background
The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, which re-emerged in Asia in late 2003, has infected birds in more than 55 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and has resulted in the deaths, through illness and culling, of over 250 million birds across Asia. The virus is now endemic in parts of Southeast Asia, is present in long-range migratory birds, and is unlikely to be eradicated in the short term. Although it has not yet become easily transmissible among humans, the disease has sickened over 300 people and resulted in more than 190 deaths.

Although the timing cannot be predicted, history and science suggest the world will face at least one influenza pandemic this century. A worldwide outbreak of a new influenza virus could result in a high death toll, millions of hospitalizations, and hundreds of billions of dollars in direct and indirect costs to North American economies.

The North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza
The North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza outlines a collaborative North American approach that recognizes that mitigating the effects of a pandemic requires coordinated action by all three countries. It outlines how Canada, Mexico and the United States will work together to prepare for and manage outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza and pandemic influenza.

At the March 2006 SPP summit in Cancun, Mexico, the leaders of the three countries committed to developing a comprehensive, coordinated, science-based approach to prepare for and manage avian and pandemic influenza. This common approach would be based on the four pillars of emergency management: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Canada, Mexico and the United States also established a senior-level Coordinating Body on Avian and Pandemic Influenza to facilitate effective planning and preparedness within North America for a possible outbreak.

Key Objectives of the North American Plan
The North American Plan provides a framework to accomplish the following:

• Detect, contain and control an avian influenza outbreak and prevent transmission to humans;
• Prevent or slow the entry of a new strain of human influenza into North America;
• Minimize illness and deaths; and
• Sustain infrastructure and mitigate the impact to the economy and the functioning of society

The Plan establishes a framework for action on priority areas including: trilateral emergency coordination and communication; joint exercises and training; response to outbreaks in animals; surveillance among animals and in humans; laboratory practices; research; personnel exchange; screening for air, sea and land travel; and maintaining continuity for critical infrastructure and key services.

Central to the Plan is a North American approach that undertakes measures to maintain the flow of people, services, and cargo across the borders during a severe pandemic while striving to protect our citizens.

The Plan also complements existing national emergency management plans, and builds upon the core principles of the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, the standards and guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health, the World Health Organization (including the revised International Health Regulations), and the rules and provisions of both the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement. It represents a significant contribution to the concerted efforts of national and multilateral partners worldwide to combat a growing challenge to animal and human health.

The North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza may be found at www.state.gov/g/avianflu


http://www.state.gov/g/avianflu/91282.htm