Plan Overview

This plan provides guidelines for the management of influenza pandemic in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark. It is intended to complement both the existing Health Unit Emergency Response Plan (Revised 2006) as well as the existing Municipal Emergency Response Plans. It is recognized that this plan will require updating on a regular basis as new information becomes available and because of changes in the development of medications and in demographics. The World Health Organization (WHO) outlines six phases of a pandemic.

A summary of WHO Phases are as follows:

Interpandemic Period:

Phase 1: No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. An influenza virus subtype that has caused human infection may be present in animals. If present in animals, the risk of human infection or disease is considered to be low.

Phase 2: No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. However, a circulating animal influenza virus subtype poses a substantial risk of human disease.

Pandemic Alert Period:

Phase 3: Human infection(s) with a new subtype, but no human-to-human spread, or at most rare instances of spread to a close contact.

Phase 4: Small cluster(s) with limited human-to-human transmission but spread is highly localized, suggesting that the virus is not well adapted to humans.

Phase 5: Larger cluster(s) but human-to-human spread still localized, suggesting that the virus is becoming increasingly better adapted to humans, but may not yet be fully transmissible (substantial pandemic risk).

Pandemic Period:

Phase 6: Increased and sustained transmission in general population.

Post-Pandemic Period:

Return to interpandemic period.

The Tri-County Pandemic Influenza Plan is organized into sections, which resemble the WHO phases.

Sections:

• Interpandemic and Pandemic Alert Periods: (WHO Phases 0 –4)
• Pandemic Alert Period: (WHO Phase 5)
• Pandemic Period: Pandemic Influenza Virus Detected (WHO Phase 6)
• Pandemic Period: Pandemic Influenza Virus Detected Locally (Who Phase 6)
• End of First Wave: (WHO Interpandemic Period)
• Second and/or Subsequent Waves: (WHO Phase 6)
• Post-Pandemic Period: (WHO Interpandemic Period)

Within each of the phases, six tasks are addressed that include:

• Surveillance
• Communications
• Vaccine Management
• Antiviral Management
• Infection Control
• Emergency Measures

Key strategies are outlined within each of the aforementioned phases as action items for the following agencies:

• Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit Incident Management Group
• Hospitals and other health care providers, Community Care Access Centres
• Emergency response agencies (police, fire and ambulance)
• Other agencies such as: Social Services (including Children’s Aid Societies), Schools, Day Cares, Business (including funeral homes), Municipal Control Groups