Information Key to Combating Bird Flu

This article posted on the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies website discusses how the spread of avian influenza (also known as avian flu or bird flu) in Asia has presented the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) with the challenge of informing tens of millions of people living in remote areas, like Anhui province, about the disease. It explains that many people do not have regular access to newspapers or the radio. As a result the RCSC’s Anhui branch, in co-operation with the local government, have engaged in a programme to distribute thousands of pamphlets about the disease in rural areas as well as enagage in training RCSC volunteers and staff, to enable them to effectively inform the public about bird flu.

"Communication is an important tool in preventing the spread of bird flu," said Adelheid Marschang, the International Federation’s Senior Officer on Public Health Emergencies and influenza co-ordinator. "Information will also play a critical role in responding to a possible pandemic," she told a gathering of around 70 local RCSC leaders in Beijing at a two-day conference on the prevention of avian flu took that took place in March 2006. The conference aimed to encourage and equip RCSC provincial leaders to serve as focal points for avian flu in their communities, using existing networks of local health professionals to reduce the risks associated with the virus. Speakers and attendees, including representatives from the Vietnam Red Cross, South Korea Red Cross, the International Federation, WHO, UNICEF, Chinese disease control experts and health officials, all emphasised the importance of the sharing of information in combating bird flu.

The Beijing Red Cross conference also served as a launch of a national education campaign led by the RCSC, which will engage its nationwide network of 70,000 grass-roots units, 2,562 county and district branches, 347 prefecture and city branches and 31 provincial branches, to disseminate millions of pamphlets and posters on the prevention of avian influenza to China’s widespread and ethnically diverse population. The project, which is supported by the International Federation and the American Red Cross, aims to reduce the threat posed by a potential pandemic and ensure that the public receives accurate information on the virus. According to Wan Jin Guo, of the RCSC’s Anhui branch, the distribution of up-to-date information is not only one of the best ways to prevent disease, but also to prevent panic caused by rumours and misinformation. “People are not scared when they read clear messages,” Guo said. “The information is even more effective when it’s accompanied by easy-to-understand illustrations and photos.”