Canadian helps WHO with pandemic
http://www.100md.com
《加拿大医疗协会学报》
In April, Dr. Paul Gully will begin working with Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO's pandemic point person and deputy director-general for prevention of communicable diseases. Gully's specific responsibilities had not been defined at press time, although he may be working in the area of rapid response and containment in countries where a pandemic strain of influenza is first detected.
WHO, which has a long-standing working relationship with Canada, asked for Gully specifically, in an arrangement that will also benefit the Public Health Agency, Gully told CMAJ.
"We think that enabling their capacity is very important," says the former senior director general of population and public health at Health Canada. "It's also good for Canada to have someone who knows the Canadian system and is well-versed in the situation here, to be there."
In January, donor countries pledged almost US$2 billion toward eradicating the H5N1 virus infecting poultry flocks in Asia and Europe. The H5N1 virus is considered the leading pandemic candidate.
"It will be very important to ensure that the funds are spent in the best way to ensure that the strategies, both from the animal side and from the human health side, are able to be worked on," Gully says. Improving identification and surveillance infrastructure in many countries will be critical, he added.(Laura Eggertson)
WHO, which has a long-standing working relationship with Canada, asked for Gully specifically, in an arrangement that will also benefit the Public Health Agency, Gully told CMAJ.
"We think that enabling their capacity is very important," says the former senior director general of population and public health at Health Canada. "It's also good for Canada to have someone who knows the Canadian system and is well-versed in the situation here, to be there."
In January, donor countries pledged almost US$2 billion toward eradicating the H5N1 virus infecting poultry flocks in Asia and Europe. The H5N1 virus is considered the leading pandemic candidate.
"It will be very important to ensure that the funds are spent in the best way to ensure that the strategies, both from the animal side and from the human health side, are able to be worked on," Gully says. Improving identification and surveillance infrastructure in many countries will be critical, he added.(Laura Eggertson)