PAHO / H1N1

WHO Director Margaret Chan tells a group of health ministers from the Americas gathered for the annual Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) meeting in Washington DC that when the current H1N1 influenza pandemic nears its end, there will be a flurry of assessments of the event, its impact and how it was managed. PAHO

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:25
• Production Date: 29 September 2009
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION - PAHO
• Subject Topical: DISEASE PREVENTION; DISEASE CONTROL
• Geographic Subject: UNITED STATES
• MAMS Id: U090929d

Description

STORY: PAHO / H1N1
TRT: 2.25
SOURCE: PAHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / SPANISH / NATS

DATELINE: 28 SEPTEMBER 2009, WASHINGTON D.C.

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, conference Pan American Health Organization
2. Med shot, Dr. Margaret Chan and Dr. Mirta Roses
3. Med shot, ministers of Health Cuba and Dominica
4. Med shot, ministers of Health of Belize and Barbados
5. Med shot, ministers of Health of Canada and Brazil
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Margaret Chan, Director, World Health Organization (WHO):
“When the current influenza pandemic nears its end, say a year from now, maybe later, we will see a flurry of assessments of the event, its impact and how it was managed. The performance of individual governments will be scrutinized, as will that of WHO. The impact will be judged as negligible, or it will be devastating. Officials over-reacted, or underplayed the threat. The whole thing was overblown, or preparedness was vastly inadequate. Deaths were fewer than expected, or far too many, especially when they could have been prevented. All of these diverse perceptions will find some resonance, depending on where people lived, or worked, or went to school when the first pandemic of the 21st century swept through the world.”
7. Med shot, presidential table from the 49th Directing Council
8. Med shot, health ministers from Honduras and Haiti
SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Dr. Mirta Roses, Director, Pan American Health Organization:
“The crutial regional contribution to the global public health has been amply recognized and gives us satisfaction to have met our duty, but also it leaves us categoric teachings about the fundamental value of the preperedness, prevention, solidarity, risk communication, the politics based in evidence and the integrated networks to respond to a challenge of such magnitude. ”
9. Tracking shot, conference

Storyline

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Margaret Chan told a group of health ministers from the Americas gathered on Monday for the annual Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) meeting in Washington DC that when the current H1N1 influenza pandemic nears its end, there will be a flurry of assessments of the event, its impact and how it was managed.

Chan said the performance of individual governments would be scrutinized, as would the WHO and that the impact would be judged as negligible, or devastating.

She went on to list a number of potential evaluations: officials over-reacted, or underplayed the threat, the situation was overblown or preparedness was vastly inadequate. “Deaths were fewer than expected, or far too many, especially when they could have been prevented.”

All of these diverse perceptions would find some resonance, she said, depending on where people lived, worked, or went to school when “the first pandemic of the 21st century swept through the world.”

Dr. Mirta Roses, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) complimented the health ministers from the Pan American region for being the “first” to combat the virus.
The annual meeting makes new policy decisions that address critical health problems of the region.
Among other key topics on the agenda this week: neglected diseases and other poverty-related infections, primary health care, safe hospitals, gender equality and human organ donation and transplantation.
The conference ends on Friday (2 October).