Das Management der Influenza A/H1N1-Pandemie durch die Gesundheitsämter in Deutschland – Ergebnisse einer bundesweiten Befragung

Abstract

In 2009, the health-care system was faced with numerous challenges resulting from the emergence and the worldwide spread of a new influenza virus. Public health authorities played a fundamental role in the management of the pandemic. The Advisory Committee for Infectious Disease Protection of the German Medical Association for Public Health Authorities (BVÖGD e.V.) requested the local public health authorities in Germany to take part in a written evaluation of the management of the new influenza pandemic in February 2010, before the official end of the influenza pandemic. The purpose of this timely analysis was to identify areas in need of improvement in preparation for similar incidents that may occur in the future. The survey showed that the communication between the various parties involved, the prompt and appropriate transmission of information, as well as the control over the overwhelming onslaught of information need to be optimised. The participants also found the practicability of the official recommendations to be lacking. The wide scale increase in workload, as seen on a national basis, required to deal with the pandemic indicates that the public health services have only very limited resources for handling crisis situations, and this must be taken into consideration when planning for coping with such matters in the future. The findings of the study participants for the national management of a pandemic coincide in most aspects with the results of other evaluations. Distinct differences in the assessment of policies were noticeable when comparing the experiences in the various German states (Bundesländer). A detailed analysis of the points at issue is necessary before possible best practice models can be developed.