An influenza pandemic occurs when an influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity, causing serious illness and spreading easily across cities, countries and potentially around the world. The last major pandemic, in 1918, is thought to have killed 20-40 million people. With the resurgence of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) in 2003, pandemic preparedness activities became a bigger priority for leaders around the world, In 2006, the UN initiated contingency plans for operating under pandemic conditions – to ensure the safety of staff, the ability to continue essential programme activities, and respond to emerging humanitarian caseloads resulting from the pandemic. These measures were directed towards two ends • Support Global Preparedness • Prepare UN System and Agencies.

At this time, a Pandemic Influenza Contingency (PIC) team was created to help focus, coordinate and support the UN System, National governments and humanitarian community with their pandemic preparedness efforts. PIC’s overall strategy includes:

Measurement: PIC uses a business process based on a simple website with maps of indicators of global preparedness. Building upon available baseline data, PIC measures progress, analyses results, and designs or modifies its assistance tools accordingly.

Advocacy: PIC produces and disseminates presentations, printed, online and e-mailed materials to advocate for greater pandemic readiness.

Helping: Much of PIC’s time goes into helping UN Country Teams prepare, and helping them to assist their host governments when requested. Examples of such assistance include simulations or ‘desktop testing’ of existing plans or missions to actually provide help in situ.

Coordination: PIC works to promote coordination of effort among the wide range of UN, government and non-government actors engaged in multi-sector preparedness; PIC facilitates the activities of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee -based ‘Humanitarians in Pandemic’ working group and PIC Regional Officers also organise regional and sub-regional platform meetings. Nature of information available on PIC National trackers, preparedness guidelines, simulations and toolboxes.

For more detailed information regarding pandemic preparedness, general guidelines, updated information on global preparedness, simulations and workshops please visit the PIC website.