Government Procedures
Governments around the world are working in conjunction
with the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop pandemic
response plans. These plans generally include a number of
elements, such as the monitoring of local health conditions,
reporting suspected instances of H5N1 infection within 24 hours,
developing plans for access to health care systems, containment
of transmission of the avian flu, allocation of medications,
and coordination of information with other health authorities.
Governments are also involved in coordinated efforts related to
monitoring of bird populations and plans include a number of common
aspects regarding identification of dead birds, testing for
existence of the H5N1 virus, culling of flocks and bird populations,
and provisions directed by the UN for declaring that a confirmed
avian exposure has been eradicated.
Procedures are also being developed to guide the general public
health response within each country's borders. Many of these
plans also provide for school closings; shortages of necessities,
including food, fuel and medications; short term interruption of
some services, like public transportation; and government employee
absenteeism. There are moderate degrees of variation between these
respective plans, however, they often provide for concerns regarding:
- Public transportation
- Access to medications
- Large public gatherings
- Designation of care centers
- Access to non-emergency health care
- Containment of H5N1 exposed individuals
- Continuation of critical business systems
- Maintenance of core services, including utilities
Worldwide, governments are starting to issue advisories to their
traveling citizens and expatriates. The U.S. Department of State
expects that local and international travel limitations may be
imposed for health reasons, and Americans abroad may receive
little help from the U.S. government. The Department of Health
and Human Services and the White House are prepared to place
travel restrictions on international travel, possibly making it
difficult for many Americans to return home during a pandemic.
Similar advice is being given by other nations.
In order to prepare for an outbreak, the WHO has established a global, rapid deployment stockpile consisting of 3 million treatment packs of the antiviral. This stockpile is designated for use as a means of short-term containment in areas experiencing confirmed human-to-human transmission. Access will be granted to national governments making request to the WHO and meeting certain conditions developed by WHO. Arrangements are in place that will enable transport of Tamiflu to affected countries on an expedited basis.
It is important to be familiar with the plan for any country
in which your travelers frequent. To ensure that you receive
the most current, detailed, and accurate information on a
per-country basis, we recommend that you refer directly to
the World Health Organization's website. This website provides
a centralized location for each individual country to post their
respective response plans, making it one of the most current
resources available for information on this topic.
WHO National Influenza Pandemic Plans
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/nationalpandemic/en/index.html
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