Oral

On 25 April 2009, the Director-General (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as a result of the detection of a new influenza virus by the laboratories of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the united States. The declaration of the PHEIC permitted to alert countries on the existence of this potential risk and the immediate activation of the contingency measures set by pandemic preparedness plans. The panel will show the containment alternatives available at that time, as well as the contributions of the existing surveillance capacities of countries and the notification and risk assessment processes followed to respond to the pandemic. The regional collaborative activities and permanent exchange of information and epidemiological intelligence allowed a further understanding of the circulation and clinical characteristics of both pandemic and seasonal influenza virus in the Region as well as the epidemiological patterns observed to date in different countries in the Region

Session Objectives: 1) Illustrate lessons learned from the international and interagency coordination in the response to the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in the Region of the Americas. 2) Determine the circulation and clinical characteristics of both pandemic and seasonal influenza virus in the Region. 3) Analyze the different epidemiological patterns observed to date in different countries in the Region