Pandemic Influenza - What is it? What can we do to prepare

The influenza pandemic threat looms from the unprecedented outbreak of highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. How concerned should we be? Is there anything that our laboratories can do to help detect and help to prevent the spread of pandemic influenza strains? The DoD Global Influenza Surveillance Program at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) has been tracking viral respiratory disease within the military community for 30 years. As part of the Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (DoD-GEIS), USAFSAM conducts sentinel surveillance in 43 countries worldwide. This presentation will provide an overview of surveillance activities and the importance of laboratory participation in this larger public health mission. Specimen handling, shipping methodologies, and testing will be discussed. It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. Wherever and whenever a pandemic starts, everyone around the world is at risk. Preparedness and planning at the installation level remains the first-line of defense against this looming threat.