Book Review: Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response, a WHO Guidance Document

Therapeutic Area: Publichealth. Format: Soft-coverbook. Also availableon-linefree of chargeas a PDFdocumentat www.who.int/csr/disease/influenzaIPIPGuidance09. pdf. Audience: Publichealth officials; others who may be curiousabout theWorld HealthOrganization (WHO)anditsclassification of pandemic influenza phasesandrecommended strategies. Purpose: To serve as a resource document for publichealthplanners engaged in themanagement of pandemic influenza. Content: This book is composed of a 4-pageexecutive summary followedby chaptersdescribing priorWHO pandemicpreparedness guidance;background on prior influenzapandemics; roles and responsibilities in preparedness and response; the WHOclassification of pandemic phases; recommended publichealth actions before,during, and after a pandemic;and annexesdescribing planningassumptions, withselected references and a description of the revision process for theseguidelines. Usability: The bookis wellorganized and attractively laidout. Highlights: The book is conciseand containshelpful figures and tables. Limitations: This book is intended for publichealthofficials. It does not includematerials that a clinician will requireto treat influenza; however, it does give clinicians and hospital administrators information that willpermita broaderunderstanding of how pandemics are handledon a national and globallevel. Comparison with Previous Edition: A prior preparedness guideline was issuedby the WHO in 1999,with a revisionin 2005. The authors note thatextensive practical experience hasbeengainedfromresponding to outbreaks of highlypathogenic avianinfluenza A (H5N1)virus infection in poultry and humansand fromconducting pandemic preparedness and responseexercises in many countries; thus, a revision at this time wouldgleanfromtheseexperiences. Comparison with Other Related Books: Similar materials have beenprepared by different national healthauthorities as wellas individual States in the US. Many of theseare also availableon-line;for example, the Illinois Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan availableat www.idph.state.il.us/pandemic_fluIHINI_Pandemic_Flu_ Plan_091409.pdf. Thesedocuments varyin lengthand detailandinclude information usefulat the local(municipality andhospital) level. Reviewer's Summary: This guidancedocument providesa useful overviewof the management of globalpandemicsfrom a publichealth perspective.