Re: UN Urges Governments to Prepare for Possible Influenza Pandemic

[Guest guest]

World ill-prepared for next flu pandemic: UN

Tue Oct 21, 3:57 pm ET

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – Despite widespread awareness of the risks of

the next flu pandemic, the world needs to drastically improve

cooperation in preparing for what would be a major global crisis, a UN

report said Tuesday.

The report by the United Nations and the World Bank said that while

most countries are planning for a flu pandemic, the worry was that

" many plans have not been tested and may well fail once the next

influenza pandemic starts. "

" Coming on the heels of a World Bank study suggesting that the

economic cost of a pandemic could top a staggering three trillion

dollars, this continuing lack of preparedness remains a cause of

concern, " it noted.

According to the World Bank, a flu pandemic of moderate intensity

could cut global gross domestic product by two percent, while a severe

flu pandemic would slash global gross domestic product by nearly five

percent, or more than three trillion dollars.

The report said that even a mild flu pandemic might kill 1.4 million

people worldwide, while the death toll from a severe global outbreak

could reach 70 million.

" Considering that pandemic preparedness was largely unaddressed by the

world's nations three years ago, the widespread awareness and action

seen today is a major achievement, " said Nabarro, a Briton who

is the UN System influenza coordinator.

" But more needs to be done to ensure that we are ready for this kind

of major global crisis, " he added.

He made the remarks ahead of an international ministerial conference

on Avian and Pandemic Influenza scheduled for Friday to Sunday in the

Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The parley is to review global progress and plan future efforts for

pandemic preparedness and bird flu control.

No countries reported new infections of their poultry by the H5N1 bird

flu virus in the first nine months of 2008, as compared with four in

the same period last year, the UN report said.

Nabarro noted that the bird flu virus was entrenched only in two

countries: Egypt and Indonesia.

The study also pointed out that only 20 countries which have

previously reported infections experienced outbreaks between January

and September 2008, down from 25 in the same period last year.

It added that to date 245 people have died of bird flu.

" The pace of sporadic human infections and deaths from H5N1 has slowed

since last year, with 28 confirmed deaths in 2008 compared to 59 in

2007, but the threat of an influenza pandemic remains, " it added.

The UN is coordinating a drive by governments, donors, international

agencies and corporations to stop the spread of bird flu while

preparing for a fast-spreading human influenza pandemic.

There have been three such pandemics in the past century.

http://news./s/afp/20081021/hl_afp/unwbankhealthbirdflu_081021195749

[Guest guest]

I am glad that somebody is still urging preparation. With the world

banking system in trouble, this is no longer in the news.

With two wars and the US heading into a major recession or depression,

no one in the US is worried about preparation for this.