Governments around the globe find themselves in a sticky situation when deciding what advice to give their citizens about avian influenza. Human cases of the so-called “bird flu” are still rare, so authorities do not want to spread unnecessary fear among the general population.

There is a concern, however, that if the virus ever mutates into a form easily passed from person-to-person, we could experience an unprecedented pandemic, capable of killing up to 150 million people. No politician or government body wants to be blamed for not giving people adequate warning.

Warnings in America
In recent months, the United States has increased efforts to educate the public about the threat of bird flu. The White House has developed a National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provide frequent updates on avian flu through its website and press releases.

Currently, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt is holding meetings in every state as part of a plan to let local and state governments know how seriously the federal government is taking the threat of a pandemic. The meetings focus on helping states formulate contingency plans and educate the public.

Wisconsin State’s governor, Jim Doyle, is a good example of an elected official trying to prepare for a worst-case scenario without causing panic among constituents. Wisconsin developed a comprehensive plan for dealing with a pandemic several years ago.

Recently, state representatives announced that the plan will be updated due to recent outbreaks of avian influenza in Asia. In the event of a widescale outbreak of avian flu in America, the state predicts nearly two million Wisconsin residents could become ill and about 9,000 would die. Doyle has held news conferences stressing that people should be aware of the risks.

International response
Many other countries have websites devoted to avian influenza. Most give a background on the virus, information on current outbreaks, and specific recommendations to minimize risks.

The UK's parliament website has a comprehensive publication titled Pandemic Influenza prepared by the Science and Technology Committee. It offers detailed information about the treatment and prevention of an H5N1-related pandemic, among other things.

Many governments in Southeast Asia also have websites, including Singapore and Hong Kong. Because many of their constituents live in areas where humans have contracted bird flu, their mission is somewhat different. They provide information that is most vital to their populations, such as warnings about the risks of raising poultry.

China's behavior is questioned
China has been widely criticized for not only failing to educate its constituents, but also hiding cases of avian influenza from the international community. In the past, China has let ideology and politics compromise public safety. In 2003, the government failed to report the outbreak of SARS for several months.

Although China has made many publicized efforts to stop the spread of avian influenza, the secrecy of its government has left many lingering questions about how open it would be with its people should wide-scale human outbreaks of bird flu occur.

See also

• Information for special groups
• Preparing for a pandemic
• The latest news
• What you need to know