”The world recognizes that this is a major public health challenge,” said Dr. Lee Jong-wook, director-general of the World Health Organization. “WHO is ready to focus its resources to reduce the risk of a human pandemic. We have plans on paper, but we must now test them. Once a pandemic virus appears, it will be too late.”

Delegates identified key steps to reduce the threat of avian influenza, which has been found in animals in Asia and in parts of Europe:

• Improve veterinary services, emergency preparedness plans and control campaigns, including culling, vaccination and compensation.
• Assist countries to control avian influenza in animal populations.
• Strengthen early detection and rapid response systems for animal and human influenza.
• Build and strengthen laboratory capacity.
• Train for the investigation of animal and human cases and clusters, and plan and test rapid containment activities.
• Build and test national pandemic preparedness plans, conduct a global pandemic response exercise, strengthen the capacity of health systems, and train clinicians and health managers.
• Develop integrated national plans across all sectors to provide the basis for coordinated technical and financial support.

According to an analysis presented by the World Bank, affected countries may need $1 billion over the next three years to carry out these steps. That figures does not include financing for the development of human or animal vaccines, for producing antiviral medicines, or for compensating farmers for loss of income due to culled animals.

Delegates supported an urgent resource request for $35 million to fund high-priority actions by WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Organization for Animal Health over the next six months. [February 2006 PET AGE]