The three-day conference made particular mention the role of the media to coordinate communication regarding the disease.
Ibrahim el-Kerdany, a WHO regional media adviser, said the media play a crucial role in informing the public on the threats of bird flu and correct any misinformation the public has on the disease.
He told participants of the conference, "We need awareness, not panic."
At the same time, Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO regional director for Eastern Mediterranean, acknowledged that information and communications were the most important tools in preventing the spread of the H5N1 virus.
The three-day conference was sponsored by WHO to gather officials from government and international organizations to draw up a coordinated plan in fighting bird flu, particularly proper information dissemination in informing the public about the disease in case of a pandemic.
Egyptian Minister of Health Hatem el-Gabali asked for global coordination to address the threat of a potential bird flu pandemic at the start of the conference.
He expressed hope that more funds would be made available for Africa to combat the disease. Africa, he says, is facing the same threat from the avian flu as Asia.
Data from the WHO shows the disease had already claimed the lives of 272 people worldwide, with 166 of them from Asia.
Gabali also hailed the cooperation between Egypt and the WHO since the first case of bird flu appeared in Egypt in February last year
