“Preparing for the pandemic”, ECDC alarm for avian flu in Europe: what happens

“Although the current risk for the European population is low, avian influenza still represents a serious threat to public health due to widespread epidemics among animals across Europe“, says Edoardo Colzani, head of the ECDC’s Respiratory Virus Department. “We must ensure that early warning signals do not go unnoticed – he adds – and that public health actions are timely, coordinated and effective. This document provides countries with a clear and adaptable framework to prepare for and respond to the transmission of influenza from animals to humans.”

The guide – explains the ECDC – was developed in close collaboration with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), the European Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza and national experts. The document sets out “practical response scenarios ranging from the current situation, where no human cases of avian influenza have been reported in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), but viruses are circulating widely in animals, to more severe scenarios with human infections” up to “potential human-to-human transmission that could lead to a pandemic”. The materials were designed to allow countries to “integrate the recommendations into their national preparedness plans”, so they can “act quickly and proportionately as risks evolve”.

The guide – describes the ECDC – includes “a series of public health measures” ranging “from strengthening surveillance and laboratory testing to ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment and clear communication to the public”. The EU agency also underlines “the importance of genomic surveillance, strengthening laboratory capacities and real-time data sharing”.

The document calls for “a One Health approach”, in the awareness that “human health is closely connected to that of animals and the environment. Close collaboration between veterinary services, agriculture and public health – specifies the ECDC – is essential to promptly identify and contain threats and protect people across Europe”.