Health Ministers Call for Enhanced Global Cooperation in Response to Bird Flu

October 27, 2005 -- Health ministers and delegates from 30 countries and nine international organizations from all parts of the world met October 24-25th in Ottawa, Canada to discuss global readiness for a potential bird flu pandemic. This is the latest, and most inclusive to date, in a series of high-level global meetings calling for enhanced international cooperation to confront a disease that respects no national boundaries.

"We recognize that we are all in this together and what affects one country can ultimately affect us all," said Canadian Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh, who chaired the meeting. "We have a responsibility to work beyond our borders and engage the international community,. encouraging all countries and international health organizations to work together to reduce the threat of emerging infectious diseases."

The latest strain of avian flu, H5N1, a particularly deadly strain, first surfaced in domestic poultry in 1997. Since that time, the virus has remained primarily an animal disease, with limited human infections coming only from direct contact with infected birds. However, health officials are concerned about the virtual certainty of the virus mutating into an easily transmittable human form, creating a pandemic. The bird flu pandemic of 1917 is still regarded as the most deadly disease event in human history, with casualty estimates ranging from 40-100 million within a year. In a global environment with fast and frequent air travel, today's pandemic could be even more deadly.

In Ottawa, ministers stressed the need for collaboration among countries and with international institutions in preventing the virus's spread, and preparing for and responding to a flu pandemic. The agenda focused on four themes vital to meeting this global challenge: enhanced collaboration around the animal to human aspects of the viral spread; improved surveillance and building international health system capacity; vaccine and antiviral development and access; and risk communications and assessment.

Ministers endorsed two over-riding principles for effective global cooperation. As Minister Dosanjh stated, "First, everyone agrees it is critical that countries urgently and proactively share information if and when an infectious outbreak occurs. Second, we must continue to support the leading role of multilateral institutions such as the United Nations."

Several international organizations present at the conference are playing lead roles in managing global collaboration efforts: the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the World Bank.  Ministers also praised the recent appointment by the United Nations Secretary General of a Senior UN System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza.

Several additional high-level global and regional meetings are planned in upcoming weeks, as the world responds to the disease's progress.  November 7-9 delegates will convene a WHO/FAO/OIE/World Bank meeting on Avian and Pandemic Influenza in Geneva.

+Click here to read the post-conference communiqué

Updated October 27, 2005