Tuesday, September 19 2006 18:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Wellington: The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned today (Sept 19, 2006) of an increasing threat of an influenza pandemic and said it was imperative that states prepared to deal with it.

It also called for urgent steps to prepare to battle emerging infectious diseases, such as avian influenza and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

Many countries and areas did not have the required national and local capacities to avoid serious health threats with potential to cause substantial economic and social disruption, the WHO warned in a statement from a regional conference in Auckland.

"Many health systems were under-manned and under-resourced when SARS struck, causing great human suffering, enormous fear and staggering economic losses," said Richard Nesbit, acting regional director for the western-Pacific.

He said countries should not only have plans to deal with an immediate outbreak but public health officials must focus on the long-term battle against infectious diseases.

The international health agency noted that a few months after it declared that the SARS outbreak had been contained in July 2003, an outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) hit Asia and has since spread to Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

More than 40 countries had reported outbreaks in either wild or domestic birds, or both, an indication that the virus continued to present a threat, Nesbit said.

"In the early stages of a potential pandemic, it may be possible to stop or delay the spread of the virus by swiftly implementing pandemic influenza rapid response and containment measures," he said.

"If rapid interventions are successful, the severe adverse health, social and economic consequences expected to result from a pandemic might be prevented," he said. Nesbit said the window of opportunity for action was very narrow because rapid globalisation, urbanisation, and increasing cross-border travel and trade aided the spread of infectious disease.

"Countries and areas must therefore prepare for such an eventuality and develop operational capacities and coordinating mechanisms to swiftly implement rapid containment measures, which also require close regional and international coordination and collaboration," he said.