Qu Bec Pandemic Influenza Plan Health Mission

The swine flu emergency needn‘t become a crisis. This critically acclaimed work provides public health officials, doctors, responders, and emergency planners with accurate current information that will help them understand the nature of an outbreak, assess risk, answer public concerns, and develop informed strategies. Devoid of sensationalism and a

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.