WHO still considers bird flu no. 1 threat
September 22nd, 2006
During a regional WHO meeting concerning the Western Pacific nations, held in Auckland earlier this week, World Health Organization representatives have warned yet again that avian influenza is still the number one danger facing global health. The five day conference focused on issues concerning the western Pacific region and was an opportunity to discuss this, as well as other diseases that threaten humanity nowadays. Country delegates were urged to step up preparations for a bird flu outbreak, as a WHO official warned that no country can consider itself safe from the virus. The speed of modern transport makes it possible for an epidemic to reach remote nations very quickly. However, it was accounted that many countries to not have the financial resources to implement effective emergency plans, so international aid is to be taken into consideration in the global avian flu preparation effort.