This week, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) convened representatives from its 35 member states in Brazil to establish a regional commission aimed at strengthening surveillance, prevention and control of avian influenza. The initiative comes at a crucial time as the global community grapples with heightened transmission rates of the virus among birds and mammals, posing significant public health risks.
In response to this urgent need, participants emphasized the importance of establishing an intersectoral commission to enhance detection, prevention and response strategies for zoonotic influenza. Dr. Sylvain Aldighieri, director of PAHO's department of prevention, control, and elimination of communicable diseases, stressed the necessity of adopting a "One Health" approach to address zoonoses comprehensively.
The Intersectoral Commission for the Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza in the Americas will facilitate collaboration among public, animal and environmental health sectors, enabling the exchange of vital information on surveillance, epidemiological risks and virus evolution. Moreover, it is poised to promote coordinated strategies at national, sub-regional and regional levels.
PAHO, led by its Pan American Center for Foot and Mouth Disease and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA), spearheaded discussions during the March 12-14 meeting, outlining the commission's objectives, structure and operational framework.
The "One Health" approach, which mobilizes stakeholders such as veterinarians, physicians, epidemiologists and community leaders, underscores the imperative of intersectoral collaboration in preventing zoonotic and vector-borne diseases.
Since 2020, the emergence of a variant of avian influenza virus subtype A(H5N1) has led to fatalities in wild birds and poultry across continents, including Central and South America since 2022. While sporadic human cases have been reported, sustained human-to-human transmission has not been identified.
Dr. Ciro Ugarte, director of PAHO's department of health emergencies, emphasized the importance of strengthening early detection and containment efforts at the human-animal interface, urging collaborative efforts across sectors in both surveillance and response.
The newly established commission will comprise specialists in seasonal influenza, zoonosis, pandemics, epidemiology and laboratory fields from ministries of health in the Americas, along with veterinary officials, environmental sector representatives and collaborating centers. PAHO will serve as the secretariat.
Ottorino Cosivi, director of PANAFTOSA, hailed the commission as a pivotal platform for regional collaboration in addressing avian influenza, drawing parallels with the success of other PAHO-coordinated mechanisms such as REDIPRA in combating rabies in the Americas.
In addition to PAHO, the meeting saw participation from various organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among others.
