World health ministers will gather in Ottawa next week to strengthen the international response to an anticipated influenza pandemic that some experts say may already be developing in the form of bird flu.

"Countries must do their best to support each other by sharing information and plans as well as skills and resources in order to reduce the risk of a possible influenza pandemic," Ian Shugart, Assistant Deputy Minister with Health Canada, told a press briefing Thursday morning at the National Press Theater.

The meeting, scheduled from Oct. 24 to Oct. 25 in Ottawa, will bring together, for the first time, heath ministers and senior officials from about 30 developed and developing countries.

The heads of key international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) will also be present.

The attendants will discuss how to reduce the spread of infectious diseases, including the H5N1 avian virus that is the current focus of global concern, both among animals and from animals to humans, said Shugart.

Also among the topics are improving early detection and response to an influenza outbreak, vaccine development and access, and how to ensure accurate and timely sharing of information both before and during a pandemic.

"New pandemic outbreaks will occur in the future. What we don't know is when or its severity or how soon it might occur," said David Butler Jones, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, at the briefing.

"At this time avian influenza, the H5N1, is the strain that has the most potential to become a serious pandemic." He said. "That does not mean that it will be the H5N1 and, even if it were a derivative of this particular strain, it will have changed by the time."

When an influenza strain develops pandemic characteristics, it can spread very rapidly and result in significant illness, death and social disruption, he said, adding that those consequences are why next week's conference so important.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2005)