So how would WHO respond to outbreak of new-type flu? In WHO headquarters in Geneva, there is a department called GOARN (Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network), which corresponds to transnational epidemics. This networks more than 100 institutions and NGOs. If a situation of the disease becomes serious, specialists in each country would be sent to the NGO regional office through GOARN.
WHO has 6 regional offices in the whole world. The regional office in charge of Southeast Asia and China, where outbreak of new-type flu is most concerned, is WPRO (WHO Western Pacific Region), located in Manila, the capital city of Philippine.
WPRO would communicate and work with the WHO Collaborating Centers in the world in emergency. There are four centers in the world: Japan (Infectious Disease Surveillance Center), U.S.A. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Australia and U.K.. If unknown new-type virus appears, they are supposed to share the high-level analyses like gene decoding or vaccine developing.
Is there any way to prevent the epidemic of a new-type flu?
A new-type flu is most concerned to appear in developing countries, where bird flu is common. An international meeting to study the countermeasures against epidemic was held in Tokyo in January. The representatives of China and Southeast countries and the infectious disease specialist gathered there. In the meeting, WHO proposed a scenario of using the antiviral drug, tamiflu, in a concentrated manner to contain the disease within the first infection area.
Once a new-type flu appears, the number of the patients is supposed to increase radically.
But there is the scenario of WHO to contain the disease on the other hand. First, when human-to-human infection is suspected, WHO is informed from the government of the area and makes a special team to analyze it. If it is determined as a new-type flu, WHO regulates migration of the residents, transport the stored anti-viral drug “Tamiflu” to the area, and give Tamiflu to all the residents around the area including healthy people.
Is this really effective?
Logically, this method is said to be able to minimize the number of patients and end the epidemic. Many countries, centering Asia, have confirmed to follow this scenario to contain new-type flu, and the drug company Roche has announced it will provide 3 million doses of Tamiflu for this scenario. Japan has also clarified that it will give 500 thousand doses to developing countries.
However, to have this scenario succeed, WHO must make a move within 2 weeks from the first mass outbreak. The infected country has to report the situation quickly, and share information with other countries. We should have double preparation in case WHO fail to contain the disease and worldwide pandemic happens.
