Many infectious disease experts predict that a new influenza strain could emerge without warning and cause a devastating pandemic. In view of this threat and the burden of illness and thousands of deaths caused annually by "typical" flu outbreaks, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new campaign to intensify efforts to fight the disease.
As a first step, the agency said it is developing a Global Agenda on Influenza—a "hit list" of activities to reduce influenza-related morbidity and mortality caused by annual flu epidemics.
WHO is urging those involved in monitoring, treating, and studying outbreaks to identify the most significant problems they face and propose possible ways to deal with them. The Global Agenda should also address the urgent need to tackle flu in developing countries, where the disease is often not seen as a major public health problem.
Other priority areas are likely to . . . [Full Text of this Article]
