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STORY: WHO / H7N9
TRT: 2.33
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 21 MAY 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
FILE – 2012, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HEADQUARTERS, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1.Wide shot, exterior World Health Organization Headquarters in Geneva
21 MAY 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
2. Wide shot, podium
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General , WHO:
“We are here because our the serious concern about the new H7N9 avian influenza virus. Any new influenza virus that infects humans has the potential to become a global threat, health threat to the world. And this especially true for a virus like H7N9 that causes such severe disease in humans. This is a puzzling virus, surrounded by mysteries. Most viruses of the H7 sub-type cause very severe disease in poultry but only mild disease in humans, H7N9 does the opposite. At present, infected birds show no symptoms, and appear perfectly healthy, and this ladies and gentlemen, hides the source of infection, and it takes away the early warning signal, which is so important for health authorities, like your good selves, to take appropriate action, and this characteristic of the virus, makes targeted surveillance for human cases extremely difficult. Also, we do not understand why elderly men, are disproportionally affected. We have many unanswered questions, but we are also here out of the appreciation for the tremendous amount of knowledge, we already have about this new disease.”
4. Med shot, woman taking a photo of the podium
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General , WHO:
“Friends, after the SARS experience 10 years ago, the Chinese government invested heavily to upgrade their public health capacity and this is what we are seeing today. We are reaping the benefit of that investment.”
6. Close up, video camera recording the conference
7. Wide shot, press
Addressing the 66th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva today (21 May), the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that there were “serious concerns” about the new H7N9 avian influenza virus.
Margaret Chan, the Director-General of WHO, said that any new influenza virus infecting humans had the potential to become a “global threat” to the world, and that this was “especially true for a virus like H7N9 that causes such severe disease in humans.”
At the end of March of this year, China reported the first-ever human infections with the H7N9 avian influenza virus. Within three weeks, more than 100 additional cases were confirmed.
Chan described the virus as a “puzzling virus, surrounded by mysteries”.
She explained that while most viruses of the H7 sub-type caused very severe disease in poultry but only mild disease in humans, H7N9 did the opposite.
Chan said also that “we do not understand why elderly men, are disproportionally affected.”
In regards to H7N9, she said there were “many unanswered questions” but she expressed at the same time appreciation for “the tremendous amount of knowledge” that had already been gained about avian influenza thus far.
She also noted that after the SARS experience in China 10 years ago, “the Chinese government invested heavily to upgrade their public health capacity and this is what we are seeing today. We are reaping the benefit of that investment”.
