Liz McManus
Question:174 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make a statement on the planned national strategy to prepare for a threatened flu pandemic. [9910/00]
Written Answers. - Flu Pandemic.
The World Health Organisation has recommended that each country should prepare a plan to deal with the issues which would arise in the event of a future influenza pandemic. A pandemic would involve the emergence of a new virus strain to which a high proportion of the population would have no immunity. There would be a high incidence of infection and disease and rapid international spread.
I am in the process of establishing a national influenza pandemic committee, whose task will be to prepare a detailed plan for a prompt and effective national response to an influenza pandemic, taking into account WHO guidelines in this area. I am also asking the committee to draw up a plan to address the more regular outbreaks of influenza and influenza-like illnesses.
The committee will be chaired by Professor William Hall, director of the virus reference laboratory, University College Dublin. The health boards and other bodies including the Irish College of General Practitioners, the National Disease Surveillance Centre, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the Office of Health Gain, have been invited to participate and the first meeting will be convened as soon as all nominations have been received.