PANDEMIC FLU PREPARATION

US Government Preparations:

Robust preparedness is goal

In 2005, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was charged by the White House with leading the country’s preparation for and response to a “potentially devastating” flu pandemic.[22] As the blueprint for that task, the HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan calls for a “robust preparedness” for a pandemic. Major components of the plan include:

• Intensifying flu surveillance
• Stockpiling of antivirals and vaccines
• Coordinating Federal, state and local preparedness
• Developing public education and communications readiness [23]

Vaccines and antivirals are keys

As the HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan outlines, there is a critical need for domestic vaccine and production capacity sufficient to provide flu-preventative vaccine for the entire US population. The plan also calls for stockpiling quantities of antiviral drugs sufficient to treat 25% of the US population.[23]

Strategies guided by principles

In addition to these flu prevention and treatment goals, the Plan identifies additional overarching principles for pandemic flu planning strategies:

• At the start of a pandemic, vaccine, which will initially be in short supply, will be procured and distributed to state and local health departments for immunization of predetermined priority groups.
   
• At the onset of a pandemic, antiviral drugs from public stockpiles will be distributed to predetermined priority groups.
   
  • Preparedness will require coordination among Federal, state and local government and partners in the private sector.
     
  • An informed and responsive public is essential to minimizing the health effects of a pandemic and the resulting consequences to society.
     
  • Sustained human-to-human transmission anywhere in the world will be the triggering event to initiate a pandemic response by the US
     
• When possible and appropriate, basic public health measures will be employed to reduce person-to-person viral transmission and prevent or delay influenza outbreaks.[23]

next: Your organization’s preparedness

 
Important Safety Information About RELENZA

• Serious cases of bronchospasm, including fatalities, have been reported during treatment with RELENZA in patients with and without underlying airway disease. Many of these cases were reported during postmarketing, and causality was difficult to assess
  
• RELENZA SHOULD BE DISCONTINUED IN ANY PATIENT WHO DEVELOPS BRONCHOSPASM OR DECLINE IN RESPIRATORY FUNCTION; immediate treatment and hospitalization may be required
  
• Safety and efficacy have not been demonstrated in patients with high-risk underlying medical conditions
  
• Patients should be instructed in the use of the delivery system. Instructions should include a demonstration whenever possible
  
• If treatment with RELENZA is considered for a patient with underlying airway disease, the potential risks and benefits should be carefully weighed. If a decision is made to prescribe RELENZA for such a patient, this should be done only under conditions of careful monitoring of respiratory function, close observation, and appropriate supportive care including availability of fast-acting bronchodilators
  
• Common adverse events in treatment and prophylaxis studies with RELENZA were nausea, diarrhea, sinusitis, viral respiratory infections, headaches, nasal signs and symptoms. The incidence of these adverse events was similar in both groups for RELENZA and placebo-treated groups
  
• Please see complete Prescribing Information for RELENZA

The federal pandemic flu plan calls for stockpiling quantities of antiviral drugs sufficient to treat 25% of the US population.[23]