Notícias Internacionais – A summary of FAO responses to pandemic H1N1 in 2009

Since the first detection of the pandemic H1N1/2009 influenza virus in humans in April 2009, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), along with its partners, has been following closely the situation around the globe.
These are the main actions engaged by the FAO in response to this disease:

• Disease Monitoring and Tracking: providing daily updates through web-based animal health information systems (EMPRES-i and GLEWS).
• Elaboration of Guidelines: related to surveillance of pandemic influenza and other influenza viruses in swine populations.
• Information Sharing: primarily through the OIE/FAO network of expertise on animal influenzas (OFFLU).
• Scientific Consultations: organized to assess the potential risks of pandemic influenza virus at the human-animal interface.
• Country Missions: offered assistance to the Government of Mexico through deployment of Crisis Management Centre-Animal Health (CMC-AH) officials.

This novel H1N1 virus primarily affects humans but its rapid expansion in the northern and southern hemispheres indicates true globalization of a pandemic virus. It has successfully spilled over also to pigs, turkeys, ferrets, cats, dogs and cheetahs in a growing number of countries around the world. In general terms, it appears that the number of influenza A virus subtypes and also genotypes circulating in farm animals has been on the increase for several decades. If this is indeed the case, an assessment of influenza virus gene pools in humans and farm animals seems warranted, helping to better understand virus genetic exchanges and disease dynamics in animal and human host populations. The FAO is currently examining what options may be available in livestock production systems and associated distribution and marketing chains to mitigate virus circulation.
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