Preparing for Another Round of Swine Flu: Will the WHO's Plan Prove to be a Success for the Global Community and Will the U.S. Lead the Way?

Abstract

Abstract This article seeks to determine whether countries in the global community have governance systems or domestic laws that will enable them to be effective in their preparation and response to influenza pandemics. It begins by analyzing the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, discussing the events leading up to Mexico triggering the IHRs and determining which aspects of Mexico’s pandemic influenza preparedness and response should be used again in the future and which should be retired. It will then take a closer look at how six WHO member states—Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—have or have not integrated lessons learned from the swine flu into their own plans for outbreaks of influenza, evaluating the plans from a comparative perspective in order to determine which plans provide the best guidance for the future.