Flu pandemic biggest world threat, says WHO

August 31, 2007

[Posted: Sun 26/08/2007]

An influenza pandemic is the biggest threat to international health,

according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In its 2007 annual report, the WHO says a similar outbreak to the

so-called `Spanish influenza', which swept the world from 1917, is the

most feared threat to health security. That pandemic killed up to 40

million people, many more than in the First World War, which was just

ending as the flu took hold.

Avian, or bird flu, could wreak havoc if it spread widely from birds

and poultry. To date fewer than 200 people have died of bird flu, but

scientists and doctors are wary of its potential to spread.

The 2007 WHO report sets out the organisation's strategic action plan

to respond to a pandemic. It also says there is a pressing need for

vigilance in managing the international spread of polio, and the

newly-emerging strain of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).

New health threats have also emerged, linked to potential terrorist

attacks, chemical incidents and radionuclear accidents, the WHO says.

It points out that conflict situations, such as the crisis in Darfur,

Sudan, can raise health risks. " Forced migration obliges people to

live in overcrowded, unhygienic and impoverished conditions,

heightening the risk of epidemics, " it says.

The WHO notes that increased global mobility also means diseases can

spread quickly and easily. Airlines now carry more than 2 billion

passengers a year, so an outbreak such as SARS (Severe Acute

Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003 can infect people in several different

countries within hours.

International Health Regulations which were introduced in 2005 follow

the rule that no country these days can protect the health of its

citizens through traditional border controls. Strict requirements for

reporting outbreaks of disease or health risks are imposed. Risks

caused by the accidental or intentional release of pathogens or

chemical or radionuclear materials are covered by the Regulations.

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