July 1, 2010

expert reaction to the independent review into the response to the 2009 swine flu pandemic

An independent review lead by Dame Deirdre Hine looked into the UK government’s response to the 2009 influenza pandemic.

Click here to read the report.

Dr Mark Fielder, Reader in Medical Microbiology at Kingston University and the Honorary General Secretary for the Society for Applied Microbiology, said:

“The UK government did respond well to the recent outbreak of Pandemic influenza A H1N1, known as ‘swine flu’. At the time of the emergence of the disease we had little idea of just how serious the infection might be and as a result had to react strongly to contain a potentially important infection. Thankfully the virus was not as virulent as immediately feared and although the infection became a pandemic event, serious illness and deaths directly attributable to the infection were comparatively low.

“We are not able to have the foresight to definitively predict how disease outbreaks will actually manifest themselves but the predictive models are quite good and as a result disease and disease outbreaks are controlled well. There is no doubt that there will be future outbreaks and pandemics and the virulence of the disease causing agents are as yet unknown and somewhat difficult to predict. However, we can rest assured that there are effective, tried and tested procedures to manage disease outbreaks and any lessons learnt from recent events will help to improve these processes further.”

Dr John McCauley, Director of the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) specialist Influenza unit, said:

“We’re pleased that the review recognises the positive action taken in preparation and response to the swine flu outbreak. Looking to the future, continuing collaborative influenza research projects, such as those at the MRC’s World Influenza Centre, are vital to furthering our understanding of viruses and how they develop. These research projects draw on the expertise of world-class scientists and will play a crucial role in ensuring we are better equipped, right from lab bench to patient bedside, to manage future pandemics – which inevitably will happen.”