Bird Flu check

The public health sector and the medical community should be mobilized to respond rapidly and effectively to any outbreak of bio-agents. The GOG should inventory all capabilities and determine its shortcomings and develop preparedness training programs against outbreaks.

The people and the government must be prepared by developing dynamic surveillance mechanisms and protocols to facilitate the co-ordination and implementation of a national preparedness programme.

Being prepared is having a dynamic surveillance mechanism and protocols in place and awareness of how the medical community and public health service will respond to a threat or an outbreak event.

This must be coupled with an effective and enhanced communication networks throughout the country to inform the public about an outbreak event. Being prepared also involves having stockpiles of antimicrobial drugs and emergency medical supplies to treat the afflicted individuals.

Surveillance, the key to control and prevention of intentional release and natural outbreak of biological agent involves collection, collation, analysis, dissemination and communication of information about potential outbreak.

It is also about emergency preparedness of first responders, medical community, security personnel and healthcare workers to their roles during an outbreak. Responders with assigned roles need to have the ability and training to detect, report and co-ordinate response to an outbreak.

Public health laboratories need to be upgraded in both manpower and equipment in order to perform epidemiological and microbiological identification of the biological agent. The government should support research and development by upgrading of facilities like the Noguichi Research Institute, the medical schools faculty of local universities and physicians and nursing and the support staff of local hospitals.

The country needs to develop practical approaches and cost effective means to handle natural outbreaks and intentional release of biological infectious disease agents.

Regarding H5NI, which has claimed over 60 lives since 2003, the government should close all borders to illegal trafficking and legal importation of all birds including chickens, turkeys and fowls from neighboring West African countries.

The customs and border control staff should be trained and oriented to detect contraband birds and fowls entering the country. The GOG should require that all healthcare providers report any unusual increase or incidence of any respiratory system disease to the proper authorities.

As a matter of national security, GOG should create a national clearinghouse for disease control and prevention to co-ordinate, collect, identify, analyze, and disseminate information about H5N1 and other biological agent outbreak.

The country has to be proactive by involving medical health practitioners, school nurses, day care centers, local health posts and clinics in towns and villages near border crossings sentinel surveillance protocols. GOG should invite the WHO and CDC without hesitation to solicit technical and financial help to prepare for this impending outbreak.

The Ministry of Agriculture (MOFA) should be tasked to set up avian (chickens in coop) monitoring stations on our national borders as sentinels. The birds will be tested frequently and routinely for evidence of avian flu virus on year round basis.

GOG needs to establish medical response teams, develop the ability to provide prophylaxis to the afflicted against outbreaks on efficient and timely manner.

The populace needs to be educated through mass education and various communication media as to their responsibility in this national endeavour so that government can provide care and develop infectious disease control programmes that will be culturally, socially and politically acceptable to all.

The Future Outlook

The out outlook to the future is bleak when it comes to the perceived government ability to deal with a potential H5NI outbreak. It is imperative that the country needs to re-orient and re-organize the public health system to meet 21st century threats. Ghana's national public health system should establish effective and co-operative links with international health agencies.

To maintain its effectiveness, the public health system must collaborate, form alliances and develop national prevention and control priorities to meet international standards and guidelines. The populace should be vigilant and be able to count on a reliable surveillance system backed by enhanced research and development capabilities and upgrade of physical infrastructure and manpower.

In conclusion a nation like Ghana cannot depend on its neighbors for protection. Therefore it is the responsibility of the people and the government officials they have elected to protect their livelihood and wellbeing to know that avian flu pandemic is global and must be treated with co-ordination.

The threat of intentional release or natural outbreak of a deadly infectious agent such as H5NI is real. Therefore the nation must not be afraid but be prepared, be aware of our environment and all risk factors, develop our public health sector infrastructure to effectively co-ordinate all efforts during an outbreak and also develop an efficient ability to carry out its legislated mandate.

" This is an excerpt from a larger presentation. ADM would carry the full text in the coming days

Editor's Note

AVIAN INFLUENZA AND FOOD SAFETY:
STATEMENT BY DR LEE JONG-WOOK, WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL

Since the beginning of February 2006, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus has spread to affect wild or domestic birds in 17 new countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

The World Health Organization reconfirms that, when poultry products are safely handled and properly cooked, humans are not at risk of acquiring H5N1 infection through food.

Although the H5N1 virus is highly infectious among poultry, it is not easily transmissible to humans. Since December 2003, this virus is known to have infected 173 people, of whom 93 have died. Not one of these cases has been linked to the consumption of properly cooked poultry or poultry products.

The main health risk currently is to people who are in close contact with infected poultry, such as families with backyard flocks and poultry workers in wet markets or live animal markets.

Heightened surveillance among domestic and wild birds, rapid detection of the virus, and swift implementation of control measures are important in supporting and maintaining consumer confidence in the safety of poultry products.

Globally, the evidence demonstrates that there is no risk of infection when birds and eggs are well-cooked, as this kills the virus. Poultry products are important sources of protein throughout the world.

For further information, please refer to the WHO avian influenza website

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ avian_influenza/en/index.html