WHO Team Visits Karachi
Recombinomics Commentary 06:34
February 5, 2008
Meanwhile, a team comprising representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) arrived in the city to assess the measures taken by hospitals for treatment of infectious diseases, in particular bird flu.
“The team brought some protective equipment and medicines against bird flu,” said Special Secretary Health, Dr Capt. Abdul Majid.
He added that they also shared some information about the virus with local officials. They visited Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), where three workers of the infected poultry farm had been kept under observation, as well as the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where an isolation ward was being set up, the official said.
The above comments describe the arrival of a team from the WHO and the inspection of isolation wards in the Karachi area. Included in the tour are members of the Pakistan NIH. This investigation is in marked contrast to the earlier outbreak, which was not made public until at least two infected patients had died, and the human to human transmission chain had grown for over a month.
The presence of a WHO team on the ground signals concerns over the earlier outbreak (along with a new suspect case in Peshawar) and reports of new bird cases in the south (and cullers in isolation). The WHO will review plans and procedures on the human side (see satellite maps here and here). Pakistan hospital throughout the country are on high alert.
In the earlier outbreak, samples degraded during the delay in notifications, and WHO labs could only confirm H5N1 in one of ten samples.
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