Information
October 2005
Pandemic Influenza Surveillance and Capacity Building
Pandemic preparedness is dependent on national and international capacity to detect, diagnose, and report the emergence of new viruses and clusters of cases in a timely manner.
There is an urgent need to strengthen capacity and infrastructure for early detection, diagnosis, and response to an influenza pandemic, as stated by the 2005 World Health Assembly resolution on influenza pandemic preparedness. An early warning system is critical because it will allow for governments and citizens to take appropriate actions to mitigate the impact of the outbreak.
Currently, scientists believe avian influenza H5N1 has the most potential to become a pandemic. Since 2003, there have been confirmed human cases of avian flu and about 60 deaths. Scientists agree that the more people affected by the avian virus the greater the likelihood the virus could mutate to create an new influenza strain to which humans have no immunity. If the new strain has the ability to transmit efficiently from person to person, the virus could spread rapidly and result in significant illness, death and social disruption.
Diagnosis of human infections depends on early detection and diagnosis which could be impeded by a lack of capacity resources and the necessary infrastructure. Few affected countries have the surveillance systems or the technical and laboratory capacity for early detection and diagnosis, which are an essential warning signal for the start of a potential pandemic. This situation is made even more difficult because many of the infected people live in rural areas.
At the request of the WHO, countries have provided laboratory support and assistance to strengthen surveillance and lab capacity, in South-East Asia. For example, Canada recently launched a five-year project to increase the ability of public health systems in Southeast Asia and China to detect and respond effectively to emerging infectious diseases. A Canadian team of experts met recently with officials in several countries to assess gaps and needs, and initiate the development of an implementation plan for the project.
Canada collaborates and shares information on an ongoing basis with the WHO. For example, the Public Health Agency of Canada manages an Internet-based early warning system that gathers preliminary media reports of public health significance. This intelligence gathering system, the Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN), is the primary source of information for the WHO as well as international governments and non-government organizations. Canada also participates in the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) to identify and respond rapidly to outbreaks of international importance.
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