World Health Organization
Pandemic Preparedness
Venezuela
Pandemics occur when disease becomes widespread and extends throughout large
geographical areas. Influenza pandemics have historically taken the world by surprise, giving
health services little time to prepare for the abrupt increases in cases and deaths that characterize
these events and make them so disruptive. Vaccines, the most important intervention for
reducing morbidity and mortality, were available for the 1957 and 1968 pandemic viruses but
unfortunately arrived too late to have an impact. As a result, great social and economic
disruption, as well as loss of life, accompanied the three pandemics of the previous centuries
(Avian). The present situation is markedly different for several reasons. The world has been
warned more than a few years in advance. Warnings that a pandemic may be imminent have
come from both changes and epidemiology of human and animal disease and an expanding
geographical presence, in this case Asia. This advance warning has brought an unprecedented
opportunity to prepare for a pandemic and develop ways to mitigate its effect (Responding).
According to Regina Phelps, a Global Emergency Management director, there are four pillars of
any pandemic plan. These pillars include education in schools and works, “social distancing”
(meaning that people should stay as far away from each other as possibly), use protective
equipment such as masks, and create an area of cleanliness. However, just as Regina Phelps
states, many of these objectives are quite difficult to be met without infringing on everyday life
of the people in the world (Phelps). As a result, to date, the main preparedness activities
undertaken by countries have concentrated on preparing and rehearsing response plans,
developing a pandemic vaccine, and securing supplies of antiviral drugs (Epidemic). Since these
actions are costly, wealthy countries are presently the best prepared whereas the countries that
are most impacted lag behind. As a result of the threat of another pandemic around one fifth of
the world’s countries have developed some from of response plan. Nevertheless, these plans
differ greatly in the comprehensiveness and stage of completion (Responding).
Apart from stimulating national preparedness activities, the present situation has opened a
window of opportunity for international intervention by gaining time to augment vaccine
supplies. Each day of manufacturing gained can mean an additional five million doses of
vaccine. International support can strengthen the early warning system in endemic countries
which can benefit preparedness plans and priority setting in all nations. This national epidemic
system is part of Epidemic and Pandemic Alert Response System (EPR). Four diseases are
required to be reported to EPR. These include polio, new influenza types, smallpox, and SARS
(Epidemic). International support is also needed to ensure that large parts of the world do not
experience a pandemic without the protection of vaccine. Pandemics are remarkable events since
they affect all parts of the world, regardless of socioeconomic status, standards of health care,
hygiene, and sanitation (Responding). Once international spread begins, each government will
understandably make protection of its own population a first priority. Popular preparedness plans
also include mass vaccinations, better sanitation practices, and education about cleanliness.
Pandemic preparedness must be discussed because there is an uneven distribution of resources
around the world and must be solved by attacking the smaller roots of the problem (Pandemic
Preparedness). WHO has a plan in place for reporting abnormal disease situations. In 1999 WHO
published a pandemic guide that described the system of identifying pandemics in stages or
phases. From 2003 to 2008 there were 385 human cases of the avian flu. WHO reports that
currently the world is in phase three, when an animal influenza affects humans but there isn’t any
human to human infections. The updated version was formed in 2005 in order to redefine the
phases (Downs).
Currently in South America, the largest organization dedicated to health is the Andean
Health Organization. As part of the Union of South American Countries (UNASUR) Venezuela
is offered the aid of the health organization. The purpose of this Andean Integration System
agency is to coordinate and support the efforts made my member countries, both individually and
jointly, for health improvement of their people. It is responsible, and therefore makes Venezuela
responsible, for coordinating and fostering actions aimed at improving the health level of
member countries. Venezuela and its South American allies in UNASUR are concerned with the
HIV/AIDS pandemic because of the threat that it poses on the security of the people. In the
constitution written by the members of they recognized that prevention, care, and treatment
efforts must be intensified. Moreover, it is necessary to facilitate affordable treatment. Venezuela
is also concerned about emerging and reemerging diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and
tuberculosis (International Declarations).
Venezuela’s main priority is prioritization of scarce pharmaceutical resources, such as
vaccines and antiviral medications, which could ultimately delay the spread of a pandemic or
lower overall incidence. Given the current state of the world it would be difficult to vaccinate
more than 14% of the world’s population if a pandemic were to occur within one year. It is
estimated that it would take a decade just to produce enough of any vaccine or antiviral
medication for 20% of the world’s population if things are not done locally (Uscher). Venezuela
proposes that support is urgently needed for the risk-prone countries who are trying to develop
influenza vaccine or establishing influenza vaccine manufacturing capacities. WHO will
coordinate the provision of international expert advice to support these national efforts. WHO
effort and working groups shall be established in specific blocs to provide direct advice to
governments in line with national needs, priorities, and capacities. Tasks of these working groups
will include evaluation of opportunities to transfer manufacturing technology to developing
countries and the development of other pilot projects. The objective is to increase vaccine
production for both seasonal vaccines and pandemic vaccines. Tools are needed for global
assessment of national preparedness status. There is no regional or global tool for evaluating the
actually status of preparedness in individual countries. In other words a world wide database
should be created to pinpoint weaknesses that need to be addressed in a specific country. This
can be used to coordinate uniformity within the various pandemic plans that each nation has.
WHO will also create a template of a pandemic plan to give countries a head start. Regional
training courses and meetings have been used in the past to evaluate national preparedness status
but this opportunity needs to be extended (Responding). The best opportunity for international
collaboration, in the interest of all countries is now, before a pandemic begins.
Works Cited
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