DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by The Government News Network on 22 November 2007
Health Secretary,
Alan Johnson, today published a new plan to increase preparedness
and better protect the public against a possible flu pandemic.
A new clinical countermeasures strategy has been developed to
offer increased protection against the effects of a flu pandemic
if a 'worst case scenario' happened. Commenting on the
plans, the WHO has again stated that the UK is in the vanguard of
countries worldwide in preparing for a pandemic.
The Department has already signed agreements with two
pharmaceutical companies to supply enough pandemic specific
vaccine for the entire population once the pandemic strain has
been identified.
The new countermeasures include plans to:
- Double the stock of antivirals to cover at least 50 per cent of
the population
- Buy 14.7 million courses of antibiotics to cover at risk groups
- Purchase 350million surgical masks and 34m respirators for NHS
and social care staff on the frontline.
The Government also has an existing stockpile of 3.3 million
doses of H5N1 pre-pandemic vaccine for healthcare workers and will
be considering all the latest scientific evidence in relation to
future decisions on pre-pandemic vaccines.
Alan Johnson said:
"The threat of an influenza pandemic remains real. Whilst it
is not possible to predict its timing or severity, the top
priority for the Government is to do all we possibly can to
protect the public. Our arrangements are kept constantly under
review, ensuring we keep abreast of emerging expert evidence and advice.
"Our new plans provide the first national blueprint for the
UK's response to a pandemic flu. We are strengthening our
countermeasures to ensure we have the necessary vaccines,
antibiotics and antivirals to protect the population if the worst
were to happen.
"We know a pandemic would have significant social and
economic impact as well as a serious effect on the health of the
population. A thorough and integrated response is therefore
critical to lessening its overall effect.
"We have spent several years developing and testing plans
with front line service providers and listening to expert national
and international advice on how best to prepare the country and
will continue to do that as new evidence or medical advances
emerge. "
Alongside the countermeasures a new National Flu Pandemic
Framework, which coordinates the responses of all government
departments, regional assemblies and all public and private
bodies, will set out how the UK will respond if a flu pandemic occurs.
The Framework will help public and private organisations to be as
prepared as possible for a pandemic and make sure their
arrangements are resilient enough to cope
Although previous pandemics during the last century have resulted
in infection rates at or around 25 per cent, the new plans
consider a possible 'reasonable worst case' scenario to
ensure a robust response. This means considering an infection
rate between 25 per cent and 50 per cent of the population.
Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said:
"We may not be able to prevent a pandemic, but with good
planning we can reduce its impact on all aspects of society. This
framework will enable organisations such as schools, businesses,
transport, and the NHS to prepare for a pandemic in an integrated
manner, with the full support of cross-government policy and planning.
"But many changes can be made now. Developing habits for
respiratory hygiene - using tissues, disposing of them carefully,
and cleaning hands - are all good practice even before a pandemic arrives."
It is recognised internationally that the UK has already made
significant progress in protecting the UK and we will continue to
work closely with the World Health Organisation.
Dr David Heymann, the Assistant Director-General for Health
Security and Environment at WHO said this week:
"The UK is still in the vanguard of countries worldwide in
preparing for a pandemic, and is also one of the leading global
players in addressing the cross-sectoral issues in their planning."
The Department of Health has also announced £2M to support the
Global Pandemic Influenza Action Plan, to increase vaccine supply
to help develop capacity to secure vaccine supply for the
developing world.
Notes to Editors:
1. The National Flu Pandemic Framework is a cross-government
document that replaces previous plans produced by the UK Health
Departments - the latest version of which was published in 2005.
Whilst it builds upon and updates the advice and information in
that plan, it also widens its scope to include non health aspects;
reflecting the fact that:
a) a pandemic presents major social and economic as well as
health challenges
b) a multi agency, coordinated and collaborative approach with
high levels of public support are going to be critical to the
success of our response
The National Flu Pandemic Framework can be found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/dh_080734
2. The framework:
- gives guidance to public and private organisations in
developing their plans and outlines how the UK's health and
wider response will be coordinated at national, regional and local level
- updates and expands previous health advice from previous plans,
for instance on community care arrangements, antiviral use and how
services will be accessed
- expands information on a range of subjects including decisions
on school closures, international travel and effects on public gathering,
- outlines how people will get necessary antivirals through a
national flu line service
- recognises that expected level of demand will mean that most
influenza sufferers will need to be cared for and supported in a
community setting
3. These arrangements provide for a consistent and coordinated UK
wide approach, but each country has some differences in
organisational structures, responsibilities and operational
arrangements. Please speak to the relevant Devolved Administration
for further information.
4. The clinical countermeasures strategy:
- The Department of Health awarded advanced supply contracts to
GSK and Baxter to provide the vaccine for a possible flu pandemic
in the summer. The contracts, worth £155.4 million over four
years, commit both to supply a pandemic flu vaccine as soon as the
pandemic strain is identified and made available by the World
Health Organisation.
- Doubling the stock of antivirals to cover 50 per cent.
Antiviral medicines are key to the response and we aim to make
them available to all symptomatic patients as quickly as possible
after the onset of symptoms. Antivirals can reduce the duration of
the disease by a day or so and reduce the risk of complications.
We currently have a stockpile for 25 per cent of the populations
and will be extending this to cover 50 per cent.
- Buying 14.7 million doses of antibiotics, to cover at-risk
groups. Antibiotics will be needed to treat the secondary
bacterial infections which are likely to be the main cause of
complications, and deaths, during a pandemic. Recommendations for
the use of antibiotics are included in the clinical management guidelines.
- Plans to purchase facemasks for all NHS and social care staff.
Maintaining the resilience of NHS and social care staff will be
critical. We will ensure that essential workers on the NHS and
social care frontline, caring for people with influenza, are
protected. They are advised to wear facemasks when caring for
symptomatic patients and to use disposable respirators when
carrying out clinical procedures likely to generate fine droplets
from infected patients. A business case has been submitted to
Treasury to purchase 34m disposable respirators and 350m surgical
facemasks for the use of health and social care workers.
- Although the available medical evidence does not support the
widespread use of facemasks, I do recognise that people may want
to have access to facemasks for their personal use. The Government
will explore the approach that retailers are planning to adopt in
stocking facemasks for sale to the public.
- Both the procurement of antivirals and antibiotics will be
subject to the normal commercial procurement procedures, and we
will ensure that value for money is balanced with the need to
ensure that the UK is prepared
6. The Department is also launching a public consultation on
possible amendments to the medicines and associated legislation.
It would seek to widen powers to supply prescription only
medicines to ensure patients can continue to access their routine
but essential medicines if front-line staff, especially GPs, are
focussed on the most seriously ill.
6. A World Health Organization's evaluation showed that the
UK's plans are amongst the most advanced in the world. An
independent evaluation of preparedness in European countries
conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines
also confirmed that we are amongst the leaders in Europe. The
progress made thus far was also acknowledged in a recent joint
report by the Royal Society of Medicine and Academy of Medical Sciences.
7. Influenza pandemics are a natural phenomenon and have occurred
from time to time throughout history. It is therefore very likely
that we will face another sometime in the future with little
warning and therefore need to be as prepared as possible.