## Overview Pandemic Influenza Preparedness

## Pandemic Influenza

Pandemic Influenza refers to an influenza virus that has never caused human epidemics but has mutated into a form where humans can infect other humans. Differing to the seasonal influenza type that repeatedly causes epidemics every year, Pandemic Influenza virus, which most of the population have no immunity against, can allow humans to efficiently infect other humans and thus possible worldwide pandemics. In recent years a highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) that can be transmitted from birds to humans has sporadically emerged, mainly in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. If the virus mutates into a form spreading among humans, it could have a serious impact on people's lives and health, and thus people's daily lives and the national economy. The government is therefore taking the following measures.

(Assumptions made in the government action plans)

Number of patients consulting medical institutions	2,500,000 patients at maximum
Number of patients hospitalized	530,000-2,000,000 patients
Number of fatalities	170,000-640,000 deaths

Major events

Dec. 2005	Formulation of the “Action Plan of Measures against Pandemic Influenza” (Liaison Conference of the Relevant Ministries and Agencies on Avian Influenza, etc.)
May 2008	Revision of the infectious Diseases Act and the Quarantine Act (legislative development of assuming pandemic influenza to be the new category of infectious diseases as “a new or reemerging influenza strain, or a designated infectious disease”, measures such as enforcement of hospitalization, and measures to prevent the virus from entering the country such as restricting activities. In addition, the H5N1-type influenza that birds can infect humans is categorized as the infectious disease category 2 “avian influenza (H5N1)” in the infectious Disease Control Law.)
Feb. 2009	Major revision of the “Action Plan for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness” (Liaison Conference of the Relevant Ministries and Agencies on Pandemic and Avian Influenza) in response to revision of the Infectious Diseases Control Law
Apr. 2009	Emergence of Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09
Mar. 2011	The announcement was made in March that it is no longer recognized as “a new or reemerging influenza strain, or a designated infectious disease” as stipulated in the Infectious Diseases Control Law as of March 31, and measures were switched to those for seasonal influenza
July 2011	Revision of the Preventive Vaccinations Law (providing new temporary vaccinations framework on the assumption of Pandemic influenza that had the same level of high infectivity as the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 but is not highly pathogenic)
Sep. 2011	Revision of the “Action Plan for Pandemic Infectious Preparedness” (Ministerial Meeting on Countermeasures against Pandemic Influenza) with consideration also given to the experience gained from measures used against the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, etc.
Apr. 2012	Approval of the “Act on Special Measures for Pandemic Influenza, etc. Preparedness and Response” (legislative development of measures, etc. to be taken specially at the emergence of pandemic influenza, etc.)

Major budgetary projects

Development of systems, including novel influenza medical institutions, etc.	Preparation of necessary beds capacity and medical resources/devices, etc. at medical institutions for hospitalizing pandemic influenza patients in each prefectures
Public communications of preparedness against pandemic influenza	Public communications for individuals, ordinary households, and issuance of mail magazines for directly providing information from the government to medical sites
Stockpile of anti-influenza virus drugs	Stockpiling for a total use of approximately 60 million people between the government and prefectures by FY2012
Manufacture/stockpile of pre-pandemic vaccines	Stockpiling for approximately 20 million people by FY2011, and an additional 10 million people using the FY2011 supplementary budget
Development of a system for manufacturing pandemic vaccines	Development of a system for manufacturing vaccines using cell culture technique in thereby enabling the manufacture of the volume required for all the people in approximately six months