Pandemic flu -- communicating the risks.
Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: No public health issue has caught the public imagination over the last year as vividly as avian flu. Governments are scrambling to be prepared for a human flu pandemic that could kill millions of people. But public misconceptions abound about the nature of the threat to human health and how to respond to it. WHO hosted a meeting of public health experts in Geneva on 6-8 December to discuss how governments should communicate the risks posed by avian flu and the threat of a human flu pandemic to members of the public. Q: WHO has convened a series of meetings over the last few months on avian influenza and the threat of a human influenza pandemic. Was it necessary to hold yet another meeting? A: The December meeting was the first WHO meeting that focused exclusively on pandemic communications. It was the first step in building a global communication infrastructure to respond to the myriad challenges posed by a human influenza pandemic. Q: Health ministries in many countries are concerned that they may be communicating uncertainty to the public when it comes to public information on avian influenza and human pandemic influenza? What is WHO advising them to do? A: In accordance with WHO Outbreak Communication guidelines, WHO advises Member States to be as open and transparent as possible in their public communications regarding disease threats, including avian and pandemic influenza. Unfortunately, there is considerable uncertainty simply because there are many unknowns about the next influenza pandemic. There is no way for anyone to accurately predict things like when the next pandemic might strike, or how many people might be killed. While WHO recognizes that talking openly about a pandemic threat may raise concerns worldwide, we would not be fulfilling our public health mandate if we did not warn the world of this evolving threat. Q: Can Member States take a one-sizefits-all approach to communicating these risks? Or do public information campaigns need to be tailored to cultural and other specifics? How can WHO help to develop such information campaigns? A: These are some of the issues that were addressed at the 6-8 December meeting. Once working groups are established to move ahead on such issues, we will have some communications guidance available [for govern ments]. WHO will provide technical and communications advice regarding public information campaigns specifically on avian and pandemic influenza. Q: How can governments justify to the public the WHO recommendation that individuals should not stockpile the antiviral drug, Tamiflu (oseltamivir), and in the event of a human influenza pandemic, how can governments justify selecting those who receive doses and those who do not? If governments get this message across in advance, will they not be more likely to have public cooperation and success in the event of a pandemic? A: WHO does not recommend that individuals stockpile oseltamivir because this is a drug whose consumption requires medical supervision. National stockpiles of oseltamivir, like WHO stockpiles of oseltamivir, have a very specific public health purpose--to contain the emergence of a new pandemic strain, if possible, and to lessen the burden of death and disease. Widespread personal use of oseltamivir could provoke the emergence of a resistant strain, which then might have serious public health implications. There is still much uncertainty regarding the potential efficacy of oseltamivir in the next pandemic. No one kiaows if it will be effective against the pandemic strain and it should not be regarded as a silver bullet. National authorities will have to decide which populations will be eligible to receive it according to their own criteria. Q: Do you think there is too much hype about avian influenza and a possible human pandemic? What happens if there is no pandemic in the next six months? Will that not detract from the credibility of WHO and the United Nations? …
Source: Europe PMC (PubMed Central)
Author: Margaret Chan
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W103365526