The current outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry are the largest and most severe on record, according to the World Heath Organization (WHO). The global challenges for health policy and diplomacy posed by avian influenza, as well as by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003, are discussed in a panel at the Baker Institute. Dr. S. Ward Casscells III is the John Edward Tyson Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Public Health and Vice President for Biotechnology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Eric Noji is the senior policy advisor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Congressional, White House and Executive Branch Affairs.
