Novel management strategies successfully adopted throughout 2009-11 to combat the Swine flu (H1N1) pandemic in Poland based on non-vaccination

Poland was the only country affected by H1N1 to withhold vaccinating its population in 2009 where the Public Health Authorities' response consisted of identification, isolation then containment directed by its Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, (CSI), according to various recommendations eg. WHO. Rapid health risk assessments were performed through a national/local system of information gathering, health monitoring and rapid response to health threats integrated with the country's foremost scientific/medical community as well as international counterparts including rapid alert systems in Europe, WHO and, particularly in the first half of 2009, those from Mexico, USA and Canada from where the virus had originated. So far in 2011 this has effectively dealt in controlling the outbreak in this country and indeed reported cases of influenza-like-illness, (ILI), have not differed significantly from national seasonal averages of flu; the morbidity being similar/less to other affected EU/non-EU member states where vaccination had been employed. After declaring a state of alert the measures adopted were to essentially identify the virus, limit its spread and to isolate sufferers until the end of the September holidays through targeting all entry areas into Poland and conducting public information campaigns. RT-PCR facilities provided confirmation and cases were sent to infectious disease hospital units with person-person contacts followed-up epidemiologically. Only 10% patients with H1N1 received Oseltamivir. Thus, due to mild H1N1 symptoms, normal ILI seasonal averages and a low vaccination compliance in Poland, vaccination is considered unnecessary. The CSI predicts increases of cases next season when collective resistance will have been achieved.