Appendix 6: Influenza Pandemic Preparedness & Response Plan
World Health Organization Pandemic Response Alert Phases
The World Health Organization (WHO) has established six pandemic response alert phases as part of its Global Pandemic Preparedness Plan (see Table 1 below).
Table 1: World Health Organization Pandemic Response Phases
Phases |
Public Health Goals |
Inter-Pandemic Period |
|
Phase I. No new virus subtypes have been detected in humans. A virus subtype that has caused human infection may be present in animals. If present in animals, the risk of human infection or disease is considered to be low. |
Strengthen pandemic preparedness at the global, regional, national, and sub-national levels. |
Phase II. No new virus subtypes have been detected in humans. However, a circulating animal virus subtype poses a substantial risk of human disease. |
Minimize the risk of transmission to humans; detect and report such transmission rapidly if it occurs. |
Pandemic Alert Period |
|
Phase III. Human infection(s) with a new subtype, but no human-to-human spread; or, at most, rare instances of spread to a close contact. |
Ensure rapid characterization of the new virus subtype and early detection, notification, and response to additional cases. |
Phase IV. Small cluster(s) with limited human-to-human transmission but spread is highly localized, suggesting that the virus is not well adapted to humans. |
Contain the new virus within limited foci or delay spread to gain time to implement preparedness measures, including vaccine development. |
Phase V. Larger cluster(s) but human-to-human spread still localized, suggesting that the virus is becoming increasingly better adapted to humans but may not yet be fully transmissible (substantial pandemic risk). |
Maximize efforts to contain or delay spread, to possibly avert a pandemic and to gain time to implement pandemic response measures. |
Pandemic Period |
|
Phase VI. Pandemic: increased and sustained transmission in general population. |
Minimize the impact of the pandemic. |
