“International cooperation is the best and perhaps the only opportunity to effectively combat the threat of avian influenza“.
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The people of Indonesia continue to trade poultry without concern. |
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Health Paula Dobriansky emphasized this at a conference held in Washington, attended by health officials from 80 countries and eight international organizations.
The global community has never been so seriously concerned about the risk of a global outbreak of avian influenza. Indeed, the worry is justified. According to a warning from the World Health Organization (WHO), when an outbreak occurs, the death toll could reach up to 7.4 million people worldwide.
Therefore, at the conference, Asian countries were advised to be transparent about disease information and to cooperate better with the world to prevent outbreaks as soon as signs emerge.
Initial reports indicate that the members participating in the conference agreed on the fundamental principle of the outbreak prevention strategy: to share information truthfully and promptly when an outbreak occurs, enabling countries to respond in a timely manner.
The plan to stockpile antiviral medication is also deemed necessary, and in this matter, wealthy nations need to support poorer countries in the event of an influenza outbreak.
On the same day, President George Bush met with pharmaceutical companies to discuss measures for faster vaccine production.
At the same time, the U.S. Congress was actively meeting to pass legislation related to avian flu prevention: the Bioshield II Act concerning the production of high-quality vaccines and the Rapid Response and Preparedness Act aimed at enhancing domestic healthcare infrastructure and increasing national vaccine stockpiles.
Meanwhile, at an extraordinary conference in Strasbourg, lawmakers from 46 member countries of the Council of Europe unanimously agreed to establish a solidarity fund (as proposed by the European Commission) to finance vaccine and antiviral drug development projects in developing countries.
NGỌC DANH (According to Washington Post, Reuters)