ヾ(゜Д゜)ノ"英字新聞
Govt must act now to prevent pandemic
It must be an anguished decision.
The World Health Organization on Monday raised its global alert level as a result of swine flu--which has spread from Mexico to other parts of the world--from Phase 3 to Phase 4, one level closer to the highest level of Phase 6, the pandemic phase.
The decision by the WHO means that it is internationally recognized that the current virus is no longer one transmitted only among animals and that a new strain of influenza, which can be transmitted among humans, has emerged.
The virus is spreading around the world, so it will not be just an epidemic of limited scale. The WHO's attempt to contain the new strain of influenza at the initial stage of the outbreak has completely failed.
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WHO urging countermeasures
How can we minimize the scale of the outbreak? How can we reduce the impact of the epidemic on society and the economy?
By raising the alert level, the WHO apparently is urging governments around the world to implement crisis management measures. Japan must take swift action to deal with the situation.
One thing to keep in mind is that, except for Mexico where the virus is believed to have killed more than 100 people, infected people in the United States, Europe and other nations have shown relatively mild symptoms.
This indicates it is highly likely that the same type of medical treatment used to treat ordinary influenza, the type that occurs every year, might be effective in fighting this worrying virus. It is expected to take several months to develop and provide a vaccine, but antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu are said to be effective.
Keeping this in mind, first of all, national countermeasures taken at the national borders must be strengthened to ensure infected people are quarantined.
However, this can never be a fail-safe measure due to the large number of tourists entering or returning to this country.
Therefore, it is important to detect those infected with the virus at an early stage, give a diagnosis and offer proper treatment. Appropriate advice aimed at preventing further infection must be given to such people as well. The new-type influenza should steadily weaken if thorough countermeasures are taken.
The public's understanding and cooperation are indispensable for such measures to be carried out effectively.
However, the government's initial response to the epidemic appears shaky. Initially, Cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and experts differed widely in their opinions about how to develop a vaccine and how to conduct quarantine inspections aboard aircraft.
Ministries and agencies have yet to draw up their respective countermeasures and explain them to the public.
These efforts contrast sharply with the response of the United States, which immediately declared a public health emergency, began providing updated information concerning the infection via the Internet everyday and made an appeal to the public for a calm response based on the information.
===
Govt action plan insufficient?
The Japanese government's response to the latest epidemic is based on an action plan to deal with new strains of influenza, which was revised in February. However, the action plan was drawn up based on the assumption that a highly virulent bird flu virus would mutate into one that spread among humans. Therefore, the action plan may not, in some cases, be suited to this new strain of influenza.
Swiftness and flexibility are essential in crisis management. Failing to take flexible and timely measures will only lead to increased confusion across the nation.
It must be an anguished decision.
The World Health Organization on Monday raised its global alert level as a result of swine flu--which has spread from Mexico to other parts of the world--from Phase 3 to Phase 4, one level closer to the highest level of Phase 6, the pandemic phase.
The decision by the WHO means that it is internationally recognized that the current virus is no longer one transmitted only among animals and that a new strain of influenza, which can be transmitted among humans, has emerged.
The virus is spreading around the world, so it will not be just an epidemic of limited scale. The WHO's attempt to contain the new strain of influenza at the initial stage of the outbreak has completely failed.
===
WHO urging countermeasures
How can we minimize the scale of the outbreak? How can we reduce the impact of the epidemic on society and the economy?
By raising the alert level, the WHO apparently is urging governments around the world to implement crisis management measures. Japan must take swift action to deal with the situation.
One thing to keep in mind is that, except for Mexico where the virus is believed to have killed more than 100 people, infected people in the United States, Europe and other nations have shown relatively mild symptoms.
This indicates it is highly likely that the same type of medical treatment used to treat ordinary influenza, the type that occurs every year, might be effective in fighting this worrying virus. It is expected to take several months to develop and provide a vaccine, but antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu are said to be effective.
Keeping this in mind, first of all, national countermeasures taken at the national borders must be strengthened to ensure infected people are quarantined.
However, this can never be a fail-safe measure due to the large number of tourists entering or returning to this country.
Therefore, it is important to detect those infected with the virus at an early stage, give a diagnosis and offer proper treatment. Appropriate advice aimed at preventing further infection must be given to such people as well. The new-type influenza should steadily weaken if thorough countermeasures are taken.
The public's understanding and cooperation are indispensable for such measures to be carried out effectively.
However, the government's initial response to the epidemic appears shaky. Initially, Cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and experts differed widely in their opinions about how to develop a vaccine and how to conduct quarantine inspections aboard aircraft.
Ministries and agencies have yet to draw up their respective countermeasures and explain them to the public.
These efforts contrast sharply with the response of the United States, which immediately declared a public health emergency, began providing updated information concerning the infection via the Internet everyday and made an appeal to the public for a calm response based on the information.
===
Govt action plan insufficient?
The Japanese government's response to the latest epidemic is based on an action plan to deal with new strains of influenza, which was revised in February. However, the action plan was drawn up based on the assumption that a highly virulent bird flu virus would mutate into one that spread among humans. Therefore, the action plan may not, in some cases, be suited to this new strain of influenza.
Swiftness and flexibility are essential in crisis management. Failing to take flexible and timely measures will only lead to increased confusion across the nation.
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