Avian influenza on the agenda for meeting

Avian influenza on the agenda for meeting of Pacific Island health ministers

Port Vila, Vanuatu, 9 March 2007 – Health ministers and senior officials from 21 Pacific Island countries and areas will meet here from 12 to 15 March 2007 to seek ways to further promote the health of Pacific Island people and to strengthen the collaborative fight against disease.

High on the agenda will be the threat of an influenza pandemic caused by the highly pathogenic (H5N1) avian influenza virus circulating in a number of countries around the world, including in Asia. Discussions on this subject will focus on the World Health Organization’s Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases (APSED), the International Health Regulations (2005) and the Pacific Leaders’ response to the avian influenza threat in the region through the Pacific Regional Influenza Pandemic Preparedness initiative (PRIPPP).

APSED, which was jointly developed by WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Office and South-East Asia Regional Office, is designed to improve the response to infectious disease threats in the Asia Pacific region. The International Health Regulations, which were adopted by WHO’s governing body, the World Health Assembly, in 2005 and which are due for implementation this year, call on countries to strengthen their ability to identify and respond to infectious diseases.

Also up for discussion will be the midterm review of the Regional Strategy on HIV and its implementation, coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC); a review by UNAIDS of the scaling-up of Universal Access in the Pacific; the migration of health personnel, which has led to the development of a Pacific code of practice for the recruitment of health professionals and the 2006–2015 Regional Strategy for Human Resources for Health; and the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. The meeting will also see the launch of the Pacific Islands Mental Health Network (PIMHnet) and the Oceania Society for Sexual Health and HIV Medicine (OSSHHM).

“The Pacific Islands have very special health challenges,” said Dr Shigeru Omi, WHO’s Regional Director for the Western Pacific, “and I am sure this meeting will go a long way towards addressing those issues.”

Dr Jimmie Rodgers, Director-General of the SPC, said: “I am happy to see the agenda of the meeting giving more prominence to a strategic approach to health in the region. Tabling non-communicable diseases at the meeting is very important, as recent studies indicate that diseases related to lifestyle are becoming a major threat for Pacific Island people.”

The meeting is jointly organised by the SPC and WHO.

ENDS

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