Prevention and control of avian influenza: the need for a paradigm shift in pandemic influenza preparedness

Abstract

Avian influenza presents both challenges and opportunities to leaders around the world engaged in pandemic influenza preparedness planning. Most resource-poor countries will be unable to stockpile antivirals or have access to eventual human vaccines for pandemic flu. Preparedness plans, directed at controlling avian influenza at the source, enable countries simultaneously to promote national and global health, animal welfare and international development. Improving the veterinary infrastructure and capacity of resource-poor countries is one way to prevent potential pandemic flu deaths in resource-rich countries. In this article, Amanda Martinot, James Thomas, Alejandro Thiermann and Nabarun Dasgupta argue that national health leaders need to consider more comprehensive strategies that incorporate veterinary surveillance and improvements in veterinary infrastructure for the control of avian influenza epizootics as part of national pandemic preparedness planning. This, they argue, will require a shift in attitude, from thinking in terms of preparation for an inevitable pandemic to pre-emption of the potential pandemic through prevention measures in the animal population.

Evaluation of a positive marker of avian influenza vaccination in ducks for use in H5N1 surveillance

“…Control of H5N1 HPAI by stamping out involves detection of infection and systematic culling of infected animals within a certain geographical radius [15]. However, culling of poultry is very costly, resulting in economic losses in the order of millions of dollars and loss of animal protein supply in the diet of poorer farmers and villagers in developing countries.…”

The pig as a mixing vessel for influenza viruses: Human and veterinary implications

“…Given the 30% increase of newly emerging zoonotic diseases in the final third of the twentieth century, it may well be that HIV/AIDS, Ebola/Marburg/Zaire virus, West Nile virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus or some other new pathogens will pose a greater threat than influenza to either the human or animal kingdoms (Greenfeld, 2006; Ellis, 2008). Yet the presence of a high prevalence avian reservoir for influenza indicates that the threat of influenza is significant, and that human and animal health must be viewed as an integrated network (Gibbs, 2005; Martinot et al, 2007; Childs et al, 2007). This is critical as public health and veterinary science is moving towards the “one world, one health” concept (Enserink, 2007).…”

Identifying weaknesses in national health emergency response skills and techniques with emergency responders: A cross-sectional study from China

“…With advancing industrialization, increasing urbanization, and growing awareness of complicating factors, all nations will be challenged by public health emergencies that have the capacity to adversely influence the security of populations, in terms of both social cohesion and population health. [1][2][3][4] Here in China, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was a sobering reminder of the importance of preparation in relation to public health emergencies. In retrospect, we learned that our response mechanisms to public health emergencies, despite the best of intentions, were imperfect and our ability to cope with such crises required improvement.…”