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Avian Influenza

Pandemic preparedness planning

Most experts agree that the question is not if another influenza pandemic will occur but when. When it does, the pandemic will spread rapidly among humans, leaving little or no time to prepare.
Efforts have intensified internationally to improve preparedness plans for an influenza pandemic – this has been largely triggered by the worldwide spread of avian influenza virus H5N1 among the world’s bird population and an increase in the number of cases of H5N1 in humans. Detailed plans can ensure a co-ordinated response, internationally and nationally to minimise serious illness, the overall number of deaths, and the economic and social burden. However, despite the advance warning, the world is under prepared to defend itself against an influenza pandemic.

WHO pandemic preparedness plan

The WHO has developed an international pandemic plan which recommends actions for national authorities and outlines measures to be taken by the WHO during each pandemic alert phase. The full report can be accessed at the WHO website.
The WHO has urged all countries to develop their own preparedness plans, and encouraged all countries with adequate resources to stockpile antiviral drugs for use at the start of a pandemic. [1]

National pandemic plans

National governments are responsible for pandemic preparedness planning. More than 40 countries worldwide have made detailed plans to ensure a co-ordinated response to a pandemic with the aim to reduce the consequences. However, few countries have addressed the logistic hurdles behind getting patients rapid access to antivirals and vaccines.
The most up-to-date national influenza pandemic plans can be accessed via the WHO website.

Pandemic stockpiling

The WHO advises that stockpiling antiviral agents in advance is currently the only way to ensure that sufficient supplies are available in the event of a pandemic. [2]
Pharmaceutical manufacturers, such as Roche who manufacture oseltamivir (Tamiflu®), have been working with governments to discuss their need for stockpiling antiviral agents. Some countries – such as France, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK – are stockpiling or intending to stockpile enough oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) to cover 20–40% of their population. Roche has taken steps to significantly increase their manufacturing capacity within their existing plants in order to meet the demand.

 

  1. World Health Organization. Avian influenza frequently asked questions. Available here.
  2. World Health Organization. Antivirals – their use and availability. Available here.   
  • "I would describe flu as something that makes you feel very, very ill. You get a headache, aching bones, and are generally fed up"
  • "When I get flu symptoms I feel like a train has run over me"
  • "I felt very sick and, during the first week, I had high temperature. Flu was very different to a cold. I went back to work after two and a half weeks. Then I suffered a setback for another week"
  • "I run a guesthouse; flu would be a real pest for me. I couldn’t cook, I shouldn’t cook, and I wouldn’t cook, so I would need to get a lot of extra help in. It would cost me a lot more money. So flu’s a real problem, a right downturn"
  • "I work on my own and when I can’t work, I have to try not to infect my little children, so they avoid getting the flu as well"
  • "I feel a little numb, like I’m in another dimension. Because in general I have sore throat, headache, I feel all clogged-up. Usually a sensation like I’m floating in the air"
  • "Shivers, sweats, makes you ache. Last time I had flu I was off for two weeks"
  • "I think that I would probably be concerned that I would pass flu onto my children, who might not be able to deal with it as well as I would"
  • "Flu makes you feel like you’ve been hit over the head with a baseball bat. You don’t feel like you can get yourself out of bed as all your energy is drawn from you"
  • "I was incapable of working. It just wasn’t possible at all… and my flu dragged on for more than a week"
  • "I have no strength. It annoys me because I can do nothing, it seems like I’m wasting my time"
  • "Flu’s like being hit by a truck because you feel completely gone. There is no energy left in your body. You are suffering from high temperature. You’re sweating a lot and you feel really unwell"
  • "First of all infinite tiredness, then I feel like sleeping and don’t want to eat"
  • "I felt really miserable because my muscles and my bones were aching. Well, I can hardly describe it, I just felt really awful, absolutely miserable"
  • "It’s like there’s something huge treading on your head, like a deafening noise that destroys the eardrums"
  • "The fever was constantly rising – I immediately measured my temperature as soon as I got home. It was 41°C and it kept rising and I was wondering what’s going on. I was really scared! Everything was hurting and it all happened so fast. Flu came out of the blue"
  • "I always feel like my limbs have iron weights tied to them and I’m going to fall over any minute, a really stuffy runny nose and feel antisocial"
  • "I was totally dependent on others! I was incapable of doing anything at all"
  • "The real flu knocks you for six – you just don’t want to move or do anything. It’s not very nice"
  • "Not being able to go to work. Not being able to do the things I have to do at home and the commitments that I have day by day"