Nursing

Canadian pandemic flu plan

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, December 6, 2005

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As global health authorities monitor several bird influenza outbreaks, Americans are becoming increasingly concerned about the U.S.'s preparedness for dealing with a pandemic. In Canada, the government has put in place a comprehensive plan detailing how it would prepare and respond to an influenza pandemic. They released the plan in 2004 after the first concerns began.

The Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan is designed for federal, provincial, and territorial health departments; emergency workers; public health officials; and healthcare workers. Available at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cpip-pclcpi/, the online document includes guidelines and checklists that can also be used in U.S. emergency response planning.

Officials at Health Canada's Immunization and Response Infections division (HCIRI) believe that the country is overdue for a pandemic. They estimated that once a pandemic started, it would take Canadian authorities two to three months to identify the strain of flu and develop the appropriate vaccine.

Editor's note: The above excerpt is from the online course, "Nursing CE Series: Preparing for an Influenza Pandemic." For more information on this and other courses in our library, go to www.hcprofessor.com.



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