BACKGROUND The threat of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) is still causing widespread public concern. A comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of 1918 pandemic influenza commonly referred to as the Spanish flu may be helpful in offering insight into control strategies for the new pandemic. OBJECTIVE We explore how the preparedness for a pandemic at the community and individual level ...

As part of pandemic preparedness planning, the European Commission (EC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) introduced a procedure to allow the submission and evaluation of core pandemic dossiers (for ‘mock-up’ vaccines) during the inter-pandemic period leading to marketing authorisations which could only be used during an officially declared pandemic (World Health Organization [WHO] Phase...

BACKGROUND Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) constituted the principal public health response to the previous influenza A (H1N1) 2009 pandemic and are one key area of ongoing preparation for future pandemics. Thailand is an important point of focus in terms of global pandemic preparedness and response due to its role as the major transportation hub for Southeast Asia, the endemic presence...

OBJECTIVE To assess the preparedness status of a hospital in Beijing, China for implementation of an e-Health system in the context of a pandemic response. DESIGN This research project used qualitative methods and involved two phases: (1) group interviews were conducted with key stakeholders to examine how the surveillance system worked with information and communication technology (ICT) supp...

OBJECTIVE The global threat of an influenza pandemic continues to grow and thus universities have begun emergency preparedness planning. This study examined stakeholder's knowledge, risk-perception, and willingness to volunteer. DESIGN AND SAMPLE The design of this study is a cross-sectional survey. Questionnaires were sent to 1,512 nursing students and were returned by 484, yielding a respon...

ON MARCH 1, 2006, the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center convened a meeting of senior government officials, hospital leaders, clinicians, and public health officials on Hospital Preparedness for Pandemic Influenza in Baltimore, Maryland. A list of meeting participants is provided in Appendix 1. Individual comments were not for attribution so as to foster a fra...

INTRODUCTION Emergency prehospital medical care providers are frontline health workers during emergencies. However, little is known about their attitudes, perceptions, and likely behaviors during emergency conditions. Understanding these attitudes and behaviors is crucial to mitigating the psychological and operational effects of biohazard events such as pandemic influenza, and will support the...

OBJECTIVE To describe changes in reported influenza activity associated with the 2009 H1N1 pandemic in European countries and determine whether there is a correlation between these changes and completeness of national strategic pandemic preparedness. DESIGN A retrospective correlational study. SETTING Countries were included if their national strategic plans had previously been analysed and...