HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Feb. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- The world is now in the gravest possible danger of a pandemic following the outbreak of the avian influenza in Asia and a pandemic preparedness plan is needed, said a WHO official here Wednesday.

    If the H5N1 virus becomes highly contagious among humans, the health impact in terms of deaths and sickness will be enormous, and certainly much greater than SARS, said Shigeru Omi, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), at the opening of the three-day Second FAO/OIE Regional Meeting on Avian Influenza Control in Asia held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Wednesday.

    The normal functions of society will be disrupted and the economic costs will be very high if a pandemic occurs, he added.

    "This is why we are urging all governments to work now on a pandemic preparedness plan" so that even in an emergency they willbe able to provide basic public services such as transport, sanitation and power, said Omi.

    Omi gave four reasons to support his warnings:

    The first is that influenza pandemics occur every 20 to 30 years. The last pandemic was nearly 40 years ago, so, by this measure, one is now overdue.

    Secondly, the virus is now firmly entrenched in many parts of Asia.

    Thirdly, the virus is proving to be very versatile and very resilient. It is now being found in animals, such as cats and tigers, that were not previously considered susceptible to influenza A viruses.

    Lastly, the domestic ducks are playing a silent role in the transmission of the virus. The ducks are carrying the virus and excreting it without showing any signs of illness.

    "The longer the virus is circulating in animals, the greater the risk of human cases -- and, consequently, the higher the risk of a pandemic virus emerging through genetic changes in the virus," Omi said.

    To prevent this happening, he said, "It is time for us to pool our organizations' strengths to reduce the risk to humans along the whole length of the food-production chain -- from farm to table."

    He called for international and regional cooperation in the prevention, including best practices for the production, distribution, processing and marketing of animals for food.

    The meeting was organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in collaboration with the WHO and the Vietnamese government. Enditem