Course Management of Prevalent Infections in Children Following a Disaster

The WHO plans to continue to strengthen influenza surveillance and the early warning system, build capacity to cope with a pandemic, and further coordinate global scientific research and development activities. The current novel influenza A (H1N1) pandemic confirms the need for preparedness plans that focus on both nonpharmaceutical strategies (social distancing, infection control and quarantine), and pharmaceutical strategies (antiviral drugs use for the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza, and the use of influenza vaccines) to mitigate the effect of the pandemic. The importance of building human surge capacity allows the allocation of health resources including the provision of essential health services and determination of the roles each institution plays in the response. Infection prevention and control activities have been critical to protect healthcare workers and to prevent the nosocomial spread of influenza infections.

Additionally, there is an urgent need to have better detection methods for influenza viruses, including the creation or strengthening and scaling-up of laboratory capacity for influenza diagnosis in most settings (low-, middle-, and high-income countries), through international networks of collaboration, technology transfer, and capacity-building efforts. Pharmacologic interventions including the use of antiviral drugs and medical interventions such as antimicrobials to treat secondary bacterial pneumonias, along with the use of supportive medical care such as oxygen, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antipyretics, have also been shown to be a critical component of the overall response activities during the current influenza pandemic. Finally, all countries should develop pandemic influenza vaccine deployment or antiviral deployment plans, regardless of the current absence of availability of pandemic influenza vaccine or adequate supplies of antiviral medications.