Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
provide will increase the effectiveness of our pandemic plans, but only if they are
used to thoroughly and frequently exercise the plans themselves, and involve those
who will be affected by a pandemic.
Dynamically Replanning for Pandemic Preparedness
Any plan must be revisited regularly and adjusted for changes in the threat, envi-
ronment, and participants. Therefore, plan(s) must be reviewed and exercised not
only periodically but also when circumstances necessitate review, such as a change
in guiding policy and a change in the nature of a virus.
During and after a Pandemic
Even with diligent prepandemic planning, some issues need to be addressed when
a population is in the midst of a pandemic. Pandemics may come in waves, and
successive planning, taking into account lessons learned from a previous wave, can
drastically reduce the socioeconomic impacts of subsequent waves. This section
presents some issues that might be faced.
Responding to Pandemic Infection
One question that will be particularly relevant to any population is whether individ-
uals are infected and who these people are. There is considerable risk in overreacting
to this question (ranging from social “shunning” to possibly illegal quarantining);
therefore, screening, detection, and response will be necessary, and all should be con-
sidered and included in a holistic pandemic plan. Of interest is a set of new techniques
for this screening and testing. For example, in early 2009, CDC developed a rapid
diagnostic test kit to detect the type A/H1N1 virus and distributed these kits to all
50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and internationally. Although
of lower sensitivity than viral culture or other similar traditional tests, these kits and
others like them will increase rapid testing capacity and are likely to result in a more
accurate, rapid picture of the impact of this disease.
Similarly, also in early 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
cleared a new, more rapid test for the detection of type A/H5N1.* “This test is an
important tool for helping quickly identify emerging influenza A/H5N1 infections
and reducing exposure to large populations,” said Daniel G. Schultz, director of
the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The clearance of this test
*
“The test, called AVantage A/H5N1 Flu Test, detects influenza A/H5N1 in throat or nose
swabs collected from patients who have flu-like symptoms. The test identifies in less than 40
minutes a specific protein (NS1) that indicates the presence of the influenza A/H5N1 virus
subtype. Previous tests that the FDA cleared to detect this influenza A virus subtype can take
three to four hours to produce results.” (U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA News
release, April 7, 2009.)
