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Political lead essential to avoid panic when flu strikes
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     The United Nations' official in charge of preparing the world for a possible influenza pandemic has called for a united international response with high level political involvement in each country to prevent panic and general "lock down" of countries as soon as the disease spreads.

    David Nabarro, senior UN system coordinator for avian and human influenza, told members of the House of Lords' Science and Technology Committee that although national preparations in some countries were progressing at a reasonable rate, evidence showed that panic could set in without proper guidance from political leaders. Countries could close their borders and instruct their diplomats to leave and pilots may refuse to fly, he said.

    Also, big companies have shown few signs that they were preparing how they might continue to operate during a pandemic. Instead, their plans focused on "closing down, retrenching, one to two months' survival rations, and their own Tamiflu stocks," said Dr Nabarro. "That kind of reaction will make the joined-up response work very very difficult."

    Dr Nabarro, who was speaking via video link from the United States in the week before the WHO conference in Geneva, said that steps had to be taken now to prevent such an eventuality. "It is necessary to take the preparations above the level of the minister of health because all the evidence I have had is that with any emergency work it is difficult to get government departments to work together unless they are told to do so by a higher government person," he said.

    The lords' committee is gathering evidence on how well prepared the United Kingdom is for a possible flu pandemic for a report to be published in December. Dr Nabarro described the US as "reasonably well prepared" and the UK as "moving forward nicely." But there was still a lot more to be done.

    "There is still quite a gap between the planning process being put in place and the reality of what might happen," he said.(Zosia Kmietowicz)