Office of Media Training and Development
Past Training 2006Southern Africa Journalists Attend Workshop on Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza
Johannesburg, South Africa | Dec. 4-5, 2006« Back to Past Training
Journalists from Southern Africa gathered in Johannesburg for a two-day workshop, Dec. 4-5, 2006, designed to educate and inform them about the health, social and economic aspects of Avian and Human Influenza, and discuss preparedness for any future pandemics.
Sessions looked at issues such as, "The Role of the Press in the Outbreak of Disease," "Reacting to Avian Influenza Outbreaks," and "Avian Influenza: What's Happening in Southern Africa."
“Outbreaks are newsworthy, and the public has a right to know about them,” said Dr. Lucille Blumberg of South Africa’s National Institute of Communicable Diseases. Urging journalists to be prepared for outbreaks, she said: “The gut thinks the less the public knows, the less they will panic. But that’s not true.”
Other speakers came from the South African Poultry Association, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, UNICEF, the United Nations and the Academy for Educational Development.
“This has benefited me at the professional and the community level,” said Issa Sikiti da Silva, who writes for "BizCommunity.com". “I plan to write stories from every angle.” The Johannesburg workshop was the first of six planned for Africa in 2006-2007. Others will be held in Nigeria, Senegal and Kenya.