Topic: Pandemic Flu
Country: New Zealand
Delegate Name: Emma Hughes
School: Ann Arbor Community High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All New Zealand position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
The World Health Organization functions in “providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed.” A pandemic influenza occurs approximately three times per century, but it is particularly threatening because it is a virus against which people have no immunity. Of prominent global concern, the H1N1 influenza (“swine flu”) has reached a pandemic level; more than 70 countries have reported cases of the H1N1 virus. Coordinated efforts toward this principle are essential in addition to rapid detection and isolation. This widespread influenza has the power to affect every country in the world, so it is necessary for member states to cooperate if the functions of the WHO are to be maintained.
New Zealand is clearly solicitous to this matter, recognizing the need for response to an influenza pandemic. As one of the countries presently affected by the H1N1 influenza, New Zealand is particularly vulnerable because of its geographic location and configuration. Vulnerabilities and hazards are derived from New Zealand’s position as a relatively small island.
As a result, the New Zealand Ministry of Health developed the New Zealand Influenza Pandemic Action Plan in 2006 to prepare a national response to a pandemic. This is an action brought about by the encouragement of the World Health Organization. In addition, New Zealand is determined to educate the population about the importance of vigilance in hazardous pandemic situations. Schools can act as breeding grounds to viruses, therefore it is essential to pay attention to the conditions in schools and urge them to close if the situation worsens. Each year, hundreds of New Zealand citizens perish from the effects of influenza, contributing to increasing concern regarding pandemic influenzas.
We encourage fellow member states to follow the pressure of the World Health Organization and adopt similar policies regarding pandemic preparedness. A resolution sought in this matter should address surveillance of the pandemic situation, case investigation and treatment, and preventing the spread of disease. New Zealand concurs with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his statement: “Our best response is a firm demonstration of global solidarity. Like other diseases, H1N1 respects no borders. The most effective way to fight it at home, for any country, is to fight it wherever it breaks out.”
New Zealand believes that the issue of H1N1 influenza must be treated with considerable attention, controlling the matter as efficiently as possible, preventing further spread of disease, and preparing for the next possible pandemic. Infectious diseases do not respect borders of any kind; therefore it is essential that all member states cooperate to control the pandemic effectively.
