Highlights From The Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan For The Health Sector

Influenza A viruses periodically cause worldwide epidemics, or pandemics, with high rates of illness and death. Advanced planning for a large scale and widespread health emergency is required to optimize health care delivery during a pandemic. Unlike other public welfare emergencies, an influenza pandemic will impact on multiple communities across Canada simultaneously. Each local jurisdiction must be prepared to respond in the context of uncertain availability of external resources and support. Therefore, contingency planning is required to mitigate the impact of an influenza pandemic through planning and preparation by the co-ordinated efforts of all orders of government in collaboration with their stakeholders. The Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan (the Plan) consists of an introduction and a background section, followed by the preparedness, response and recovery sections, which are consistent with the general principals of emergency response. Each section aims to assist and facilitate appropriate planning at all levels of government for the next influenza pandemic.

Public health officials and organizations around the world remain on high alert because of increasing concerns about the prospect of an influenza pandemic, which many experts believe to be inevitable. Moreover, recent problems with the availability and strain-specificity of vaccine for annual flu epidemics in some countries and the rise of pandemic strains of avian flu in disparate geographic regions have alarmed experts about the world's ability to prevent or contain a human pandemic. The workshop summary, The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? addresses these urgent concerns. The report describes what steps the United States and other countries have taken thus far to prepare for the next outbreak of "killer flu." It also looks at gaps in readiness, including hospitals' inability to absorb a surge of patients and many nations' incapacity to monitor and detect flu outbreaks. The report points to the need for international agreements to share flu vaccine and antiviral stockpiles to ensure that the 88 percent of nations that cannot manufacture or stockpile these products have access to them. It chronicles the toll of the H5N1 strain of avian flu currently circulating among poultry in many parts of Asia, which now accounts for the culling of millions of birds and the death of at least 50 persons. And it compares the costs of preparations with the costs of illness and death that could arise during an outbreak.

This guidance is an update of WHO global influenza preparedness plan: the role of WHO and recommendations for national measures before and during pandemics, published March 2005 (WHO/CDS/CSR/GIP/2005.5).

Originally designed for communicating public health information associated with communicable diseases, this book covers essential topics concerning media relations for public and private sector public information officers. Topics include: Introduction to Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication-Types of crisis and communications during a crisis, the risk of disaster, emergency/crisis/risk communications, the crisis communications lifecycle-pre-crisis phase, initial phase, crisis maintenance, resolution, and evaluation. Psychology of a Crisis-Human behavior in an emergency, decision making, perception of risk, facts to consider about human psychology in a crisis, and how to communicate effectively in a crisis. The Crisis Communication Plan-Developing an emergency/crisis communication plan, Information verification and clearance/approval procedures, agreements on information release authorities (who releases what/when/how, procedures to secure needed resources (space, equipment, people) to operate the public information. The nine steps of crisis response. Surviving the first 48 hours of an emergency: Be first, be right, be credible. The Role of the Spokesperson- The role of the spokesperson in an emergency, what makes a good spokesperson, general recommendations for spokespersons in all settings, pitfalls for spokespersons during an emergency, when emotions and accusations run high in an emergency public meeting, what spokespersons should know when talking through the media, general media interview pitfalls, media opportunity or press conference tips, counters to electronic media interview techniques, radio interview tips, television interview tips, what to wear on television, assessing your communication skills and habits, facial expressions, voice cues, body positions and movements, and effective nonverbal communication. Working With the Media- Think local media first, what do reporters want, getting emergency information to the media, the press conference or media opportunity, telephone news conferences/Web casts, commercial press release services, E-mail listservs and broadcast faxes, Web sites/video streaming, and responding to media calls. Writing For the Media During a Crisis- What your media release should include, press statements are not press releases, media factsheets/backgrounders, visuals, video press releases, and B-roll. Press Conferences- Where to hold the press conference, whom to invite, how and when to invite the media, how to conduct the media opportunity, using visuals and handouts.