Report of the Regional Consultation for the Strengthening of Intersectoral Work in the Human-Animal Interface of Influenza. March 2023

Background 

In March 2023, professionals from the Health and Agriculture Services involved in zoonotic influenza programs met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to share experiences and strategies for zoonotic influenza surveillance and emergency response. Participants included representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, and Mexico, as well as technical representatives from the World Health Organization Collaborating Centers (WHO CCs), regional reference laboratories, and other relevant organizations, along with officials from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) involved in technical cooperation on zoonotic influenza.

The meeting was organized by the Infectious Threats Management Unit of the Health Emergency Department (PHE/IHM) and the PANAFTOSA Center of the Department of Prevention, Control, and Elimination of Communicable Diseases (CDE/PANAFTOSA) to discuss experiences and strategies at the human-animal interface for zoonotic influenza surveillance and emergency response. The primary objective of the meeting was to identify and compile key aspects that Member States should focus on to strengthen surveillance and emergency response capacities for zoonotic influenza at the human-animal interface, with a particular emphasis on avian influenza (AI).

This consultation successfully mapped regional intersectoral efforts on zoonotic influenza based on the experiences of participating countries and facilitated the development of specific recommendations for influenza surveillance and emergency response at the human-animal interface, particularly highlighting successful examples.