ASEAN +3 on A/H1N1 Crisis
Ministers of ASEAN + 3 countries assembled in Bangkok on Friday in an emergency meeting to discuss the current situation of the A/H1N1 crisis, part of a two-day session that linked together Bangkok, Washington, Geneva, and Atlanta by video, through technical support provided by Tokyo Development Learning Center.
Dr. Toomas Palu, World Bank Lead Health Specialist, speaks at a special ASEAN + 3 meeting on Influenza A(H1N1) in Bangkok May 7, 2009.
Through state-of-the-art technology, different time zones in Asia, North America and Europe were brought together in real time, as experts from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank shared updates and expertise with ASEAN leaders to address mounting concern over a pandemic.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting Deputy Director of the CDC, on Thursday updated the session on the situation in the United States, providing comparisons with Mexico. She identified assessment as being an important and serious ongoing problem, though the “severity is not as grave as what was originally reported from colleagues in Mexico”.
Dr.Schuchat said that although some media have characterized the situation as “finished”, “it is an active issue that merits our highest priority”.
In answer to a question from a Philippine official, she said that one of the current issues being looked at is clarifying modes of transmission. She said there has been no evidence of airborne transmission so far, but that “we don’t know all that we need to know about this,” and active investigation is being continued.
Characteristics of the Illness
“We may see an increase in percentage as we have a little more time,” she said. “There’s an average of nine days from the onset of illness to death. We may not have seen the full impact of what we have. Case counts are increasing every day as cases are increasing.”
The illness is generally prominent in younger people below 60 years of age. The overall median age is somewhere in the 20’s. Males and females seem equally affected; the spectrum of the disease itself ranges from mild to fatal. There’s a development of symptoms such as fever, cough, muscle ache, diahrea…
Upward Revision to Phase 6 – What It Means
“There’s a great deal of confusion on what going to phase 6 from the current pandemic alert, phase 5, might mean,” WHO flu chief Dr. Keiji Fukuda said during the session.. “In essence, the difference is more extensive geographic spread of this infection. It does not mean that the disease is becoming more severe. We’re really looking at a geographic spread of the disease. It’s an evolving situation, countries should look very closely.”
ASEAN + 3 health officials assemble in Bangkok for an emergency meeting on Influenza A(H1N1). The meeting was part of a two-day session linking Bangkok with Washington, Geneva and Atlanta, through technical support provided by TDLC.
Is Pork Safe?
Dr. Fukuda also addressed our fears on eating pork. “There’s also a great deal of confusion about the role of pigs, and the safety of eating pork. When pork is handled properly and cooked properly, we feel there is no danger of transmitting to people.”
World Bank Ready to Assist on Economic Concerns
From World Bank headquarters in Washington, officials pointed out concern over the grave economic consequences of a spread of a pandemic, noting previous experiences with SARS.
Cutting down contact with others would affect the services industry, like tourism and entertainment, which are already in the midst of a deep global recession. It could end up prolonging the current recession, as governments may not have many resources left to further tackle the economy., they said, adding that the bank would stand ready to assist all of the countries involved.
Working Together
The world now faces a new emerging threat.
“The U.S. is committed to doing whatever we can to help you and other global partners mitigate the threat,” Dr. Richard Besser, Acting Director-General of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, told ASEAN + 3 ministers via video conference on Friday. “We must work together with trust, transparency, and mutual respect.”
“Today we’ve shared the virus with China, Japan, and South Korea for research.”
“Planning is essential. We have a global influenza surveillance network. The CDC began shipping influenza AN1H1 to all national research centers including all ASEAN countries with research facilities.”
And this information was shared today among the sites linked by video, using technology that would not have been available decades ago.
Message from Mexico
Mexican Minister of Health Jose Cordova also sent a special videotaped message to the conference. With 44 lives currently taken by the influenza virus in Mexico, he cited the peak of the epidemic as having been between April 23rd and April 28th.
Analyses have shown a decline in the transmission of the virus, but the surveillance system must continue in alert, he said. “It is important that we now take actions that do not unnecessarily alarm the population of our nations.”
“The WHO has strongly reiterated, recommended, not closing the borders or establishing travel restrictions.” Dr. Cordova stressed the importance for health representatives to ensure that discriminatory actions did not take place “because these measures damage more than the virus itself. They are against human rights and human dignity. ”