Pandemic Preparedness and Response – Lessons from H1N1 Influenza of 2009
2014
This article from The New England Journal of Medicine discusses the global pandemic caused by the influenza A (H1N1) strain. H1N1 presented a public health emergency of uncertain scope, duration, and effect, and prompted the first activation of provisions under the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR). The pandemic exposed strengths of the newly implemented IHR as well as a number of shortcomings and vulnerabilities in terms of “global, national, and local public health capacities, limitations of scientific knowledge, difficulties in decision making under conditions of uncertainty, complexities in international cooperation, and challenges in communication among experts, policymakers, and the public”. This article reviews the experience of the pandemic, with special attention given to the function of the 2005 IHR and the performance of the WHO, and highlights steps that can be taken to improve global readiness to deal with future pandemics. Educators can leverage this as a rich case example for classroom discussion about global governance, disaster response, and infectious disease.
Pandemic Preparedness and Response – Lessons from H1N1 Influenza of 2009
Source:
Fineberg HV. Pandemic Preparedness and Response – Lessons from H1N1 Influenza of 2009. The New England Journal of Medicine 2014; 370: 1335-1342. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1208802.