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Avian Flu
USAID Supports Avian Flu Preparedness in Central America
With USAID support, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently hosted a regional workshop in Panama to improve preparedness for a potential avian flu pandemic. Regional participants from six countries in Central America and the Dominican Republic included close to 100 professionals from ministries of health, agriculture, civil defense and foreign affairs. The InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Organismo Internacional Regional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (OIRSA) were also represented.
The purpose of the workshop was to provide a forum
for multisector planning and hands-on assistance in preparation
for a potential highly-pathogenic influenza pandemic.
The specific objectives of the workshop were for
each country team to:
- Share knowledge, methods, tools and action plans to prepare for and respond to a potential pandemic;
- Critically evaluate their own national preparedness plans and capacity to respond to avian influenza and pandemic influenza; and
- Identify essential actions required in the short and medium term in order to finalize and implement national pandemic preparedness plans.
The results from this workshop were:
- Simulation exercises were carried out (pre and post);
- Knowledge of WHO pandemic preparedness tools was improved;
- WHO tools were adapted to better reflect thematic and country needs in the region;
- Self-evaluations of national pandemic preparedness plans were carried out; and
- Commitment of participants from all 7 countries was confirmed to finalize and operationalize national plans.
Highlights: - Simulations were enlightening.
Tabletop exercises simulated crisis situations that required
participants to work together to respond quickly to different
pandemic scenarios.
- Collaboration between sectors was fostered. The workshop resulted
in better integration of animal emergency preparedness plans
into national pandemic preparedness plans.
- Animal health experts developed a checklist tool. PAHO tapped the
expertise of participants to develop an assessment tool, or
checklist, based on UN guidelines for animal emergency preparedness.
- Organizations, such as IICA and OIRSA demonstrated their capacity
to assist with preparedness and response.
- Goal achieved. The goal of the workshop was to provide a unique opportunity
for the different sectors from countries in the region to share
experiences and work together to review country-level pandemic
preparedness plans. The result was positive: each country team
worked together to modify their plan according to the WHO guidelines
and checklist; and then they developed an action plan to address
gaps in priority areas. The action plans were presented by each
country on the last day of the conference. Relationships between
sector experts were strengthened across the region.
Next Steps
- It is important to include other important actors -such as ministries of defense, communication, and transportation- in national pandemic preparedness.
- Continued attention is needed to advance 1) communication between the various sectors involved in preparing for and responding to a pandemic and 2) communication between central actors and the provinces or rural areas in all of the countries represented.
- Participants from each country represented expressed their commitment to assist in the refinement and submission of pandemic preparedness plans to PAHO by June 2006, in line with commitments expressed at the Summit of the Americas meeting in Buenos Aires in November 2005.
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to Latin America & Caribbean Health Section
Date posted:
March 16, 2006
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