The Malthus Pandemic
Page 20
CHAPTER 20
Early morning in Geneva and the Director General of the WHO was, once again, trying to understand the nature of the respiratory infections being reported from places as widely separated as Nigeria, Kenya and Thailand.
What was worrying her was that the symptoms appeared similar yet the cases were so far apart. And the virology information coming out of Thailand suggested something new. But it was her role to stay calm, establish the facts and not make connections where there weren't any. Only after that could the WHO give advice and recommend a plan of action. The problem was the lack of facts.
They had not yet even published a DON (Disease Outbreak Notification) on the website for fear of it being either alarmist or inaccurate. But the media had already got wind of something during the Bangkok Conference and if more scare stories were whipped up, everything could get out of control. So the WHO was already being pressed for comment and would, very soon, need to say something. But what?
There was useful information coming from Thailand although the detail about the virus needed far more work. But the real unknown was the extent of infection in Africa.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa had been advised about some outbreaks of respiratory infection in Nigeria but the DG knew that it was not a priority for him at present. Neither did it appear to be a priority for the Nigerian Health Ministry. And the Regional Director for Africa was in Kinshasa dealing with a yellow fever outbreak in the Congo whilst also trying to cope with widespread publicity that had followed a BBC TV documentary on violence against women in parts of West Africa. Added to his other top responsibilities for improving the health of mothers and children and dealing with all the ongoing problems surrounding HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, Doctor Pedro Lopez from Angola was a busy man.
By midday, though, the DG felt more confident that, by collating information from Pedro Lopez, the Nigerian Ministry of Health, the Kano State Government and the original source of information - Doctor Larry Brown at the US Embassy in Lagos - some facts might start to emerge.