Preparedness for pandemic influenza
On a national, EU and international level, work is being done to prepare for a possible influenza pandemic. It is not possible to foresee when a pandemic - a global influenza epidemic - might break out, it could happen in one year, ten years or even longer.
National level
At the request of the Government, the National Board of Health and Welfare has presented a national contingency plan in preparation for a possible influenza pandemic. The contingency plan proposes a number of measures that are necessary to strengthen national preparedness for an influenza pandemic. The plan includes material for facilitating local authorities' planning for dealing with the strain on important public services that may occur during a pandemic.
Influenza vaccine
It is simple to manufacture a new vaccine against the ordinary annual influenza virus, since that virus does not change much from year to year. There is an established procedure for this.
In an influenza pandemic it is not possible to predict what changes will take place in the new virus. Production of a vaccine against the virus that causes the pandemic cannot be started until the nature of the virus is known. Once the nature of the virus is known, it takes about 3-6 months to develop a vaccine against it.
In January 2006 the Government appointed a special negotiator to investigate various solutions for setting up production of influenza vaccine in Sweden. The negotiator reported his findings in November 2006. The Government is also cooperating with the Nordic countries on vaccine supply issues.
Antiviral medicines
So-called antiviral medicines can curtail the sickness period if taken at an early stage of the disease. The medicines can also to a certain extent prevent complications, which may be of value for vulnerable groups with underlying chronic conditions.
Antiviral medicines can protect against infection if they are used as a prophylactic before becoming ill. However, unlike vaccines, they do not provide long-term protection. Protection ceases when you stop taking the medicine.
Sweden has emergency supplies of antiviral medicines, for which the National Board of Health and Welfare is responsible.
EU and international level
Both the EU and the World Health Organization (WHO) are continuously monitoring developments to be able to act, should a pandemic break out.
Within the EU, the member states are cooperating by among other things co-ordinating national contingency plans and exchanging information. A network has been established which entails an "Early warning and response system" which links the public health authorities responsible for disease control. By facilitating a swift exchange of information, the possibilities of limiting the spread of influenza virus are improved. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, is among other things working on evaluating the EU countries' preparedness for pandemic influenza.
The WHO confirms a new influenza virus and reports the different phases of an influenza pandemic.
Avian influenza
The risk of avian flu infection in Sweden is currently considered to be low. The responsible authorities are still maintaining emergency preparedness and reporting to the Government. The general public can ring a telephone number to obtain answers to their questions about avian influenza: +46 771 44 20 00.
Effective and powerful disease control measures in countries where avian flu is rampant among domestic birds are regarded as one of the most important measures for avoiding a future pandemic as a result of a mutated avian influenza virus. At an international donor conference for avian influenza in Beijing in January 2006 a total of USD 1.9 billion was promised in loans or donations to contribute to financing efforts to combat avian flu in the world.
What do the various influenza terms mean?
The influenza virus that has only changed slightly from previous years causes the common, annual influenza that infects humans. Many people, through earlier infection and illness, have gained some resistance to the current year's virus strain. Therefore, only a small percentage of a country's population is at risk of infection by the annual influenza.
Influenza pandemic occurs when a new strain of an influenza virus, that most people have no resistance to, is communicated between humans and spreads globally. In that case considerably more people become ill.
Avian influenza is a bird disease caused by an influenza virus. The disease is highly contagious among susceptible birds. Other birds carry influenza viruses without getting ill. Other animals can be infected in rare cases. Avian influenza can also be communicated from animals to humans, that is to say the disease is a "zoonose".
