Kigali, 2 September 2009 -- The World Health Organization has proposed measures for strengthening the capacity of Member States in the African Region for outbreak preparedness and response in the context of the current global Pandemic H1N1 2009.

The proposals are contained in a report presented by the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, to the WHO Regional Committee for Africa taking place in Kigali, Rwanda.

Among the measures suggested by Dr Sambo are mitigating the potential impact of the pandemic on populations and health systems; raising awareness of health issues through the development and implementation of reliable communication strategies; updating and using existing epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response plans, and the scaling up of surveillance monitoring and assessment of the status of the pandemic.

Others are addressing capacity for influenza diagnosis, ensuring effective coordination of infection control in health care settings and communities as well as intensified resource mobilization from internal and external sources.

As part of its response to Pandemic H1N1 2009, the WHO Regional Office for Africa has established crisis management teams at the Regional Office in Brazzaville, WHO inter-Country base locations in Harare, Libreville and Ouagadougou and in WHO Country Offices across the Region.

In addition, WHO has dispatched over a million doses of oselmativir (an antiviral medicine) and personal protective equipment to all countries in the African Region.

Case management guidelines, surveillance forms and tools for communication for pubic awareness have been sent to countries which have also received supplies and technical support for laboratory confirmation of influenza.

An influenza pandemic is by definition the emergence of influenza A virus, with efficient human-to-human transmission, globally, in populations with no immunity or with limited immunity.

Influenza pandemics occurred in 1918, 1957 and 1968. The 1918 pandemic killed an estimated 40-50 million people. It is predicted that a pandemic of equivalent magnitude could kill 96 million people, 96% of them in developing countries.

For more information, please contact :

Technical contact
Dr Adamou Yada
E-mail yadaa [at] afro.who.int 
Tel.: +47 241 39582

Media contact
Samuel Ajibola
Email: ajibolas [at] afro.who.int 
Tel: +47 241 39378