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Health and Community Services
November 15, 2007

Province Strengthens Preparedness for Pandemic

The Provincial Government has taken an important step forward in its ongoing work to ensure the province is prepared in the event of an influenza pandemic. Today the Honourable Ross Wiseman, Minister of Health and Community Services, was joined by the province�s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Faith Stratton, as he outlined the tenets of the newly-released document Pandemic Influenza: Planning Guidelines, Roles and Responsibilities for the Health Sector.

"The potential threat of a pandemic is of concern worldwide and while it is impossible to predict the timing of the next pandemic, our government is working to make certain our health system is poised to best respond to the needs of our residents should such an event occur," said Minister Wiseman. "In our most recent Blueprint, we committed to continued vigilance in ensuring the province�s readiness for pandemics and other public health emergencies. These guidelines reflect that commitment and represent an enormous amount of work that will provide a solid foundation for us to build on our pandemic preparedness."

Pandemic Influenza: Planning Guidelines, Roles and Responsibilities for the Health Sector will guide the health sector both at the provincial and community level to enhance pandemic awareness, planning and response. The roles and responsibilities of the four regional health authorities and the Provincial Government are outlined and aligned with those of the Federal Government. The overall goal is a comprehensive and integrated approach that will ease the impacts of a pandemic in the province.

"These guidelines will prove tremendously valuable for our regional medical officers of health and front-line health care managers," said Dr. Stratton. "They will help ensure a consistent and thorough approach throughout the health system during a pandemic and consequently, the delivery of the best possible health care."

The planning guidelines were developed in collaboration with the regional health authorities and involved consultation with several Provincial Government departments. In addition, the department works closely with other provinces and territories and the Public Health Agency of Canada to ensure a common approach to pandemic planning and response across the country.

"This planning tool is part of a group of measures our government has implemented to enhance the protection of the public in the event of a public health emergency," said Minister Wiseman. "In Budget 2006, we invested $4.7 million for enhanced health and emergency preparedness and today we are taking another important step in preparing our health care system to respond to an influenza pandemic."

"The release of these planning guidelines for the health sector today marks the accomplishment of an important piece in our strategy of ensuring thorough and effective pandemic and health emergency preparedness that best protects the people of this province," said Minister Wiseman. "We will continue to update these guidelines as we move forward in working with the regional health authorities as they develop detailed operational plans at the community level."

The document Pandemic Influenza: Planning Guidelines, Roles and Responsibilities for the Health Sector is available at www.gov.nl.ca/health.  Any updates will also be posted to this site.

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Media contact:
Glenda Power
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 685-1741
glendapower@gov.nl.ca

 

BACKGROUNDER

Pandemic Influenza: Planning Guidelines, Roles and Responsibilities for the Health Sector � An Overview

Pandemic Influenza: Planning Guidelines, Roles and Responsibilities for the Health Sector is a planning tool that will guide the health sector both at the provincial and community levels to enhance pandemic awareness, planning and response.

Specific responsibilities for the province and the regional health authorities are set out, with information as well provided on the role of the Federal Government as identified in the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified four distinct pandemic periods which serve as the core structure for the planning guidelines presented throughout the document:

1. Inter-pandemic period � no new influenza virus strains have been detected in humans;

2. Pandemic alert period � a new influenza virus has been found in humans, though human-to-human transmission is limited;

3. Pandemic period � human-to-human transmission of the new influenza virus within the general population has increased and is sustained; and

4. Post-pandemic period � this marks a return to the inter-pandemic period noted above.

The specific responsibilities recommended for pandemic planning and response nationally, provincially and regionally are itemized by pandemic period in seven main areas:

5. Surveillance

Effective surveillance of influenza viruses and cases can lead to early detection of a new influenza virus and can also help guide prevention and control efforts. The department and the regional health authorities participate in a national program which monitors influenza. Such data is reported weekly and can come from laboratories, workplaces, long-term care facilities, childcare providers, outpatient departments, hospital emergency settings and certain physicians� offices.

2. Antiviral Drugs

Antiviral drugs are used for the treatment and prophylaxis of annual influenza. During a pandemic, particularly during the first wave of the illness when a vaccine is not yet developed, antiviral drugs are expected to be effective and will be used in accordance with national and best practice guidelines. A provincial stockpile of antiviral drugs exists to ensure availability for the province during a pandemic. The pandemic guidelines document includes recommendations on the development of plans to acquire, store and distribute antiviral drugs.

3. Vaccines

Vaccination will be the primary measure for the prevention of influenza and its complications during a pandemic. A vaccine can only be developed after the pandemic strain of influenza has been identified. The province participates in the national influenza vaccine procurement program and this will continue in the event of a pandemic. An effective pandemic vaccine program will provide a secure vaccine supply to residents and help prevent illness, hospitalization and death. During a pandemic, mass immunization of the entire population will be carried out once the new pandemic vaccine is available.

4. Public Health Measures

Public health measures are actions taken to prevent, control or reduce the impacts of a pandemic. These measures may include public health advice on personal hygiene, public education programs, travel restrictions, the closure of public schools and the limiting of public gatherings.

5. Health Services

Demands on the health care system are expected to increase during a pandemic due to the increased demand for care and increased absenteeism within the system. The planning guidelines provide specific recommendations for effective health services emergency planning with primary goals including the maintenance of essential health services and the minimizing of pandemic related mortality.

Laboratory Services

The provincial Public Health Laboratory (PHL) is the only facility in the province with the capability to provide influenza testing and will play a central role in the surveillance of a pandemic in the province. Depending on the extent and severity of the pandemic, the demand for influenza testing will likely exceed PHL�s capacity. In this event, PHL will use the services of the National Laboratory Network and other satellite centres. The planning guidelines will help ensure key objectives for the provision of laboratory services are met, including the support of hospital laboratories for surveillance activities, the detection and monitoring of a pandemic virus, and the support of diagnoses by physicians.

Communications

The planning guidelines support effective and timely communications by the department to ensure the public is informed and educated on pandemic, while also encouraging efficient communications amongst the regions, province and Federal Government.

BACKGROUNDER

Frequently Asked Questions on Pandemic Influenza

What is a pandemic?

A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a specific disease to which people have little or no immunity.

What is an influenza pandemic?

An influenza pandemic occurs when a radical change takes place in an influenza virus causing a new strain against which people have little or no immunity. If this new strain has the ability to spread easily from person to person, many people around the world will become ill and possibly die.

Why do we need planning guidelines for pandemic influenza?

These guidelines are an important step in ensuring the province can effectively respond to an influenza pandemic. They will assist the regional health authorities as they develop their pandemic plans and will help ensure that the best possible health care services are available to residents in the event of a pandemic.

Is it known when the next pandemic will occur?

Influenza pandemics occur two or three times per century. The next pandemic is inevitable but its timing and severity cannot be predicted.

How is influenza or the flu different from an influenza pandemic?

Human influenza, or the flu, is a respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus. Influenza will circulate every year and causes mild to severe illness in outbreaks. Influenza pandemics occur approximately two or three times per century when a new influenza virus emerges to which humans have no immunity. This results in widespread disease, increased hospitalization and high mortality.

Will the annual flu shot provide protection from pandemic influenza?

No. The annual influenza vaccine includes the influenza strains expected to be in circulation during that year�s flu season. While annual immunization is the most effective way to avoid getting seasonal flu, it will not provide protection from a new influenza strain that emerges and results in a pandemic.

How is influenza spread?

The influenza virus spreads through droplets that have been coughed or sneezed into the air by someone who has the flu. You can get the flu by breathing in these droplets through your nose or mouth, or by the droplets landing directly on your eyes. You can also contract the virus by shaking hands with infected people or by touching contaminated surfaces then transferring the viruses to your own eyes, nose or mouth.

What are the symptoms of influenza?

Influenza symptoms typically include the rapid onset of fever, headache, chills, cough, muscle aches, fatigue, watery eyes and a sore throat. Vomiting and diarrhea may also occur, especially in children.

2007 11 15                                                                          10:30 a.m.


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