Key changes to pandemic plans by Member States of the WHO European Region based on lessons learnt from the 2009 pandemic
This report, originally published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, provides the key conclusions and recommendations from a series of workshops that were organised jointly by ECDC and WHO.
A total of 45 countries participated in four workshops, with the purpose of summarising key changes being made to pandemic preparedness plans and to give countries the opportunity to learn from each other.
Executive Summary
In the aftermath of the 2009 influenza pandemic, countries as well as international organisations have evaluated their response and started to revise their pandemic plans based on the lessons learnt.
In September and November 2011, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control jointly organised four workshops on pandemic plan revisions. A total of 45 Member States of the WHO European Region participated in these workshops, which enabled them to learn from each other's experiences. This joint report is summarising the key changes being made to pandemic preparedness plans across these countries.
“Good practice dictates that we do not simply identify lessons learnt from pandemic preparedness evaluations; we must use these lessons to enhance preparedness. We commend the countries of the European Region for their commitment to incorporating these lessons into revised preparedness plans”, jointly state Marc Sprenger, ECDC Director, and Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.