Europe not prepared for influenza pandemic, experts warn[fr][de] 

A technical report  on influenza pandemic-preparedness in the EU, published on 22 February 2007, concludes that the EU and individual member states have made major progress in preparing for an influenza pandemic, but that they are not expected to be fully ready before 2010 at least.

Since the multiple outbreaks of the deadly strain of bird flu H5N1 in birds and poultry in 2005, and several cases of human infections, EU member states have produced or updated national plans to improve their preparedness to face a potential influenza pandemic in humans. Efforts to co-ordinate action at EU level have also increased considerably.

However, the report identifies several areas that still need improvement, in order for Europe to be confident that primary-care systems will be able to deliver, that the essential infrastructures will continue to function and provide services, and that vaccine will reach the health-care services within six months of the start of the pandemic.   

Improvements need to be made in particular on integrated planning across all government departments, implementation of preparedness plans at local level, and co-ordination and interoperability at European level. The report also urges more research on influenza and recommends stepping up prevention efforts against seasonal influenza, as this can help governments to be better prepared.

The report prepared by the ECDC is based on a preparedness review of EU-25 plus Iceland and Norway. The ECDC is set to deliver an updated status report on pandemic preparedness in late 2007.