Pandemic Influenza Contingency (PIC) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

1. Update on Pandemic PreparednessIASC Weekly Meeting – 06 August 2008 Pandemic Influenza Contingency (PIC)Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

2. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning 3 Types of Influenza Seasonal Influenza “The Flu” • Human viral respiratory infection • Affects mainly elderly & very young • Occurs seasonally • Routine vaccination available • Roughly 500 000 deaths worldwide each year Avian Influenza “Bird Flu” • Animal virus - different from human influenza virus • Can sometimes infect humans • Can sometimes mutate into human virus • Has killed over 200 people worldwide since 2003 Pandemic Influenza “a pandemic” • Global outbreak of new human influenza • In past 3 pandemics, avian viruses became a human virus • 3 pandemics in last 100 years: • 1968 “Hong Kong Flu” – 2million deaths • 1957 “Asian Flu” – 1 million deaths • 1918 “Spanish Flu” – 20-50 million deaths

3. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning

4. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning Prerequisites for an Influenza Pandemic A new influenza virus emerges to which the general population has little or no immunity A The new virus gains the ability to replicate in humans and cause disease B ? The new virus becomes efficiently transmitted from one human to another C ?

5. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning 2004

6. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning 2004  2005

7. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning 2004  2008

8. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness No new influenza virus detected in humans. If a new influenza virus is present in animals, the risk of human infection is considered to be low. Inter pandemic period 1 No human infections, but a circulating animal influenza virus poses a risk to humans. 2 Human infections with a new virus, but no (or very infrequent) human-to-human spread. 3 Pandemic Alert period Small clusters with limited human-to-human transmission but spread is highly localized. 4 Larger clusters but human-to-human spread still localized. 5 6 Pandemic period Increased and sustained transmission in general population. UN Sytem Pandemic Planning WHO Pandemic Alert Phase : 3 Current Phase

9. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning Pandemic Preparedness is not about birds!

10. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning UN System Pandemic Readiness Staff Health & Safety Continuity of Operations Support to National Preparedness & Response

11. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning UN System Pandemic Readiness www.un-pic.org/web

12. Monitoring Progress in Pandemic Planning UN Sytem Pandemic Planning Tools & Guidance for National Governments Simulation Packages WHO Revised Pandemic Planning Guidelines

13. IASC Weekly Meeting – Update on Pandemic Preparedness UN Sytem Pandemic Planning Humanitarian Community Preparedness High-level Simulations for UN System & Partners H2P Initiative in 20 Priority Countries IASC Sub-Working Group on Contingency Planning

14. Thank you. Pandemic Influenza Contingency (PIC)Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)