Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T05:40:43.851Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pandemic Influenza: Public Health Preparedness for the Next Global Health Emergency

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Lawrence O. Gostin
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The threat posed by avian influenza appears to be rising, yet global and national health programs are preparing only fitfully. A lethal form of avian flu has rooted itself deeply into the poultry flocks of poor Asian countries that will have a hard time eradicating it. Every so often a sick bird infects a human, who usually dies from the encounter, and on rare occasions the virus seems to have spread from one person to another before the chain of infection dies out. All it would take to set off a raging global pandemic would be for the virus to mutate into a form that is readily transmissible among humans.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) garnered a great deal of public attention because it was novel and its potential for spread was unknown. However, the SARS corona virus is significantly less virulent than pandemic influenza viral infections.

Type
Symposium
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , Winter 2004 , pp. 565 - 573
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Editorial, “The Menace From Avian Flu,” New York Times, October 12, 2004, at A-30.Google Scholar
Kolata, G., “Genetic Material of Virus from 1918 Flu is Found,” New York Times, March 21, 1997, at A-2.Google Scholar
Stevens, J., Corper, A.L., Basler, C.F., Taubenberger, J.K., Palese, P., and Wilson, I.A., “Structure of the Uncleaved Human H1 Hemagglutinin from the Extinct 1918 Influenza Virus,” Science 303 (2004): 1866–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, J.M., The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History (New York: Viking, 2004).Google Scholar
Board on Global Health, Institute of Medicine, Learning from SARS: Preparing for the Next Disease Outbreak (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2004).Google Scholar
Bradshere, K., Altman, L.K., “A War and a Mystery: Confronting Avian Flu,” New York Times, October 12, 2004, at D-1.Google Scholar
Affected countries include Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, Laos, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Outbreaks of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) in Asia and Interim Recommendations for Evaluation and Reporting of Suspected Cases—United States,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 53 (2004): 97–100.Google Scholar
Dao, J., “Bird Flu Outbreak has Farmers Jittery,” New York Times, February 16, 2004, at A-12.Google Scholar
Orders pursuant to 42 CFR 71.32b dated Feb. 4, March 10, and Sept. 28, 2004.Google Scholar
WHO, “Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A(H5N1) since 28 January 2004,” at <http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2004_10_04/en/> (last visited October 18, 2004).+(last+visited+October+18,+2004).>Google Scholar
CDC, “Outbreaks in Asia,” at <http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/out-breaks/asia.htm> (last visited October 18, 2004); see Markel, H., When Germs Travel: Six Major Epidemics that Have Invaded America Since 1900 and the Fears They Have Unleashed (New York: Pantheon Books, 2004).Google Scholar
Tam, Pui-Wing, “Chiron Receives U.S. Subpoena Over Flu Vaccine,” The Wall Street Journal, October 13, 2004; Abejo, Jerry, “Chiron Target of Shareholder Lawsuit,” The Wall Street Journal, October 14, 2004.Google Scholar
Levine, , “District to Issue Emergency Order Limiting Flu Shots,” Washington Post, October 15, 2004, at B1; Haigh, , “Bluementhal Wants Rell to Call Flu Vaccine Emergency,” Associated Press, October 14, 2004; Mulder, , “Some Insurers Will Pay for FluMist,” The Post-Standard, October 14, 2004.Google Scholar
Grady, , “With Few Suppliers of Flu Shots, Shortage Was Long in Making,” New York Times, October 17, 2004.Google Scholar
Webby, R. J. and Webster, R.G., “Are We Ready for Pandemic Influenza?” Science 302 (2003): 1519–22; World Health Organization, WHO Consultation on Priority Public Health Interventions Before and During an Influenza Pandemic (Geneva, Switzerland: WHO, 2004); see Board on Global Health, Institute of Medicine, supra note 5.Google Scholar
Weinstein, R.A., “Planning for Epidemics: The Lessons of SARS,” N. Engl. J. Med. 350 (2004): 2332–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNeil, D.G. Jr., “Experts Call Wild Birds Victims, Not Vectors,” New York Times, October 12, 2004, at D-6.Google Scholar
Emanuel, E.J., “Preventing the Next SARS” New York Times, May 12, 2003, at A-25.Google Scholar
The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement is designed to promote free trade by ensuring that national measures to protect human, animal, or plant life are scientifically-based and not pretexts to protect domestic markets from international competition. See Taylor, A.L., Bettcher, D.W., Fluss, S.S., DeLand, K., and Yach, D., “International Health Instruments: An Overview,” in Detels, R., McEwen, J., Beaglehole, R., and Tanaka, H., eds., Oxford Textbook of Public Health, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002): At 359–86.Google Scholar
Gostin, L.O., Bayer, R. and Fairchild, A.L., “Ethical and Legal Challenges Posed by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: Implications for the Control of Severe Infectious Disease Threats,” JAMA 290 (2003): 3229–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WHO Secretariat, Revision of the International Health Regulations, Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, January 15, 2004, Publication EB113/3 Rev. 1; see Gostin, L.O., “The International Health Regulations and Beyond,” The Lancet: Infectious Diseases 4 (2004): 606–607.Google Scholar
Gostin, L.O., “International Infectious Disease Law: Revision of the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations,” JAMA 291 (2004): 2623–27CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bayer, R., Toomey, K.E., “HIV Prevention and the Two Faces of Partner Notification,” American Journal of Public Health 82 (1992): 1158–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, V.S., Philipose, N.M., and Sanford, J.P., eds., The Children’s Vaccine Initiative: Achieving the Vision (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1993); Pearson, G.W., ed., The Children’s Vaccine Initiative: Continuing Activities (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1995).Google Scholar
Bradshere, K. and Altman, L.K., “Experts Confront Major Obstacles in Containing Virulent Bird Flu,” New York Times, September 30, 2004, at A-1.Google Scholar
Committee on a Strategy for Minimizing the Impact of Naturally Occurring Infectious Diseases of Military Importance, Protecting Our Forces: Improving Vaccine Acquisition and Availability in the U.S. Military (National Academy Press, 2002).Google Scholar
Statement from the IOM Council on Vaccine Development, November 5, 2001, available at <http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=5487> (last visited October 18, 2004).+(last+visited+October+18,+2004).>Google Scholar
Longini, I.M. Jr, Halloran, M.E., Nizam, A., and Yang, Y., “Containing Pandemic Influenza with Antiviral Agents,” American Journal of Epidemiology 159 (2004): 623–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905); see Gostin, L.O., “Jacobson v. Massachusetts at 100: The Police Power and Civil Liberties in Tension,” American Journal of Public Health (Forthcoming 2005).Google Scholar
Spier, S.E., “Perception of Risk of Vaccine Adverse Events: A Historical Perspective,” Vaccine 20, suppl. 1 (2001): S78–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neustadt, R., Fineberg, H.V., The Epidemic That Never Was: Policy Making in the Swine Flu Scare (New York: Vintage Books, 1983).Google Scholar
Krauss, C., “The SARS Epidemic: Toronto; Canada Increases Pressure on World Health Organization to Lift Travel Advisory,” New York Times, April 26, 2003, at A-8.Google Scholar
Intergovernmental Working Group on the Revision of the International Health Regulations, World Health Organization, Working paper for regional consultations, Geneva (Switzerland): 2004.Google Scholar
New York v. New St. Mark's Baths, 497 N.Y.S.2d 979 (1986).Google Scholar
Gostin, L.O., Sapsin, J.W., Teret, S.P., Burris, S., Mair, J.S., Hodge, J.G. Jr., and Vernick, J. S., “The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act: Planning and Response to Bioterrorism and Naturally Occurring Infectious Diseases,” JAMA 288 (2002): 622–628.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gostin, L.O., “Public Health Law in an Age of Terrorism: Rethinking Individual Rights and Common Goods,” Health Affairs 21 (2002): 79–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greene v. Edwards, 263 S.E.2d 661 (W.Va. 1980).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barbera, J., Macintyre, A., Gostin, L.O., Inglesby, T., O’Toole, T., DeAtley, C., et al., “Large-Scale Quarantine Following Biological Terrorism in the United States: Scientific Examination, Logistic and Legal Limits, and Possible Consequences,” JAMA 286 (2001): 2711–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sapsin, J.W., Thompson, T.M., Stone, L., DeLand, K.E., “International Trade, Law, and Public Health Advocacy,” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 31 (2003): 546–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilman, S.L., “Disease and Stigma,” Lancet 354, suppl. (1999): SIV15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gostin, L.O., Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (Berkeley and New York: University of California Press and Milbank Memorial Fund, 2000).Google Scholar
“The Siracusa Principles on the Limitation and Derogation Provisions in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” Human Rights Quarterly 7 (1985): 3–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar