Washington DC, October 30, 2024 (PANAFTOSA/SPV-PAHO/WHO) - This week, PAHO/WHO brought together experts from the Commission for the Prevention and Control of Zoonotic Influenza in the Americas (CIPCIZA) at its headquarters to launch ad hoc intersectoral working groups on surveillance, risk assessment, and laboratory activities.
Over the course of two days, representatives from Ministries of Health, Official Veterinary Services, and Environmental Ministries across the Americas, along with partners such as IICA, FAO, WOAH, OIRSA, WHO, US CDC, and St. Jude, worked to strengthen collaboration across sectors.
The technical groups of CIPCIZA, coordinated by the Unit for Infectious Risk Management within the Health Emergencies Department and PANAFTOSA/VPH of the Department of Prevention, Control, and Elimination of Communicable Diseases at PAHO, aim to improve surveillance of zoonotic influenza and assess risks under the One Health approach. Their goal is to define practical and feasible recommendations to strengthen intersectoral collaboration, clarify the key roles of each sector, and explore successful practices that can serve as models.
Among the key topics discussed were the appropriate intersectoral risk assessment of avian influenza, the joint interpretation of findings from phylogenetic analyses, and the formalization of intersectoral work in countries.
The work of CIPCIZA and the recommendations of the ad hoc groups are crucial, particularly in light of the rise in highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in birds, reported since 2022, and the increase in confirmed human infections with avian influenza A/H5N1 in the Americas. In this context, joint efforts across sectors are essential to protect both public health and animal health, and to prevent the spread of the disease.
