[Image: Radio NZ]
Radio New Zealand seem to have taken it upon themselves to try to scare the living daylights out of their audience, publishing an article written by two university academics under the headline above. One might ask, for what purpose?
The authors of the article, Jemma Geoghegan, Professor and Webster Family Chair in Viral Pathogenesis at the University of Otago, and Nigel French “(He/Him)“, Distinguished Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Public Health at Massey University, write in a manner that might be described as giddy with excitement, at the apocalypse set to befall New Zealand, our wildlife and unsuspecting human population.
Only… this particular strain of avian flu, repeatedly described as “deadly” and “highly pathogenic” has only infected a handful of humans internationally, and “despite intercontinental transmission of highly pathogenic bird flu variants during the past 20 years, no cases have been reported in New Zealand – yet.”
The really scary aspect to this story is that the authors are advocating for “a more enhanced and integrated One Health surveillance system. One Health is a World Health Organisation program – which immediately makes it highly suspect.
“Through combined energies of the Quadripartite organizations (FAO, OIE, UNEP and WHO), a comprehensive One Health Joint Plan of Action is in development, supported and advised by the One Health High-Level Expert Panel. The Plan aims to mainstream and operationalize One Health at the global, regional and national levels; support countries in establishing and achieving national targets and priorities for interventions; mobilize investment; promote a whole of society approach; and enable collaboration, learning and exchange across regions, countries and sectors.”
WHO website
Published: 18 August 2023
From: RNZ News