As the threat of bird flu once again confronts Europe and
Central Asia, an
International Symposium on how governments can better manage emergency health
situations has started in the capital of Ukraine. For
three days Ukrainian and Moldovan high level government officials will discuss
the organization and implementation of crisis communication campaigns in the
context of a possible Avian Influenza pandemic.
While Avian
Influenza – or bird flu – is now better understood, most countries of the former
Soviet bloc would not be ready for a full-scale pandemic (human-to-human
transmission). Seven of the nine H5N1 deaths in the region have been children,
so getting the right message to families is critical.
The symposia take place within
the framework of the UN System Influenza Coordinator (UNSIC) in close
collaboration with WHO, USAID, European Comission, European Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control and other partners.
“Preparedness and timeliness are
watchwords in the fight to contain and confront Avian and Pandemic Influenza,”
said Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CEE/CIS). “We are very grateful to the Government of Japan for making these
most important symposia possible.”
Ministers,
deputy ministers and their press officers will be attending the symposia. On the
final day, decision-makers in the media – owners, managers, editors and
journalists – will be invited to take part.
Relations
between the media and many governments of the region suffer from a post-Soviet
legacy of mistrust and lack of transparency, often compounded by less desirable
effects of the free market. A “meet the media” session will underscore the
necessity for a clear, open and honest relationship between government and media
and the important part the media has to play in the event of a national health
emergency.
The seminars
will cover both internal and external crisis communication flows and
communication chains of command within government and within a country. They
will draw on lessons learnt from the BSE (mad cow) and foot and mouth crises in
the UK and the current bird flu outbreak
there, among others.
UNICEF will be
urging governments to test their communication machine when undertaking broader
nationwide simulation exercises for pandemic influenza.
The Symposium is organized by UNICEF
(United Nations Children’s Fund) in collaboration with WHO (World Health
Organization) and with financial support of the Government of Japan and USAID
(United States Agency for International Development).
