LSHTM study reveals gaps in EU pandemic preparedness

A report published in the on-line version of The Lancet on April 20 says that "considerable gaps exist among European national pandemic plans." Taken from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine study of European pandemic preparedness, this concluded that further implementation is required to allow national governments to effectively respond.

The LSHTM report considered the pandemic management initiatives in all 25 European Union member states, as well as in Bulgaria, Norway, Romania and Sweden, specifically assessing: planning and coordination; surveillance; public health control measures such as vaccine and antiviral stocks; and health system response and communication. The assessment found that the completeness score of the plans across the EU ranged from 24% to 80%, with an average of 54%.

The research group added that it had only considered plans that were effective as of November 2005, and that action taken after this date may address some of the issues raised in its study.