Topic: Pandemic Flu
Country: Canada
Delegate Name: Chelsea DeBoer
School: Forest Hills Central High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Canada position papers GLIMUN 2009 committees
The pandemic flu, a common and easily communicable disease of the lungs, infects millions of people worldwide each year. Although it is a virus, new strands develop unpredictably each year, so humans that may have had the illness in previous years no longer will have immunity to the diseases. When no vaccines or medications are available, the spread of influenza is rampant, causing thousands of deaths each year. When a certain strand spreads around the world, this is referred to as an influenza pandemic. Currently, the world is experiencing the pandemic of the H1N1 virus, sometimes referred to as “swine flu” which originated in Mexico this year. Already, H1N1 has affected thousands in public places such as schools and other work environments where breeding of the virus happens easily. In order to halt the spread of H1N1, measures must be taken to treat those who acquire the disease and methods for the prevention of the disease must be promoted.
Canada, due to their frequent contact with people of other countries, has experienced the outbreak of various flu pandemics in the past as well as the current outbreak of the H1N1 virus. Since the government provides universal health care to all citizens of the nation, the Canadian government has been responsible for distributing the newly developed H1N1 vaccine. According to the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan for the Health Sector, prevention and preparedness to overcome the influenza pandemic depend on surveillance and laboratory preparedness, vaccines, antivirals, public health measures (such as public education, social distancing, and isolation and quarantine), health services, communications and emergency preparedness and coordination. In order to combat the pandemic flu and protect people worldwide from contracting the disease, measures like those listed previously must be strongly encouraged by WHO to be implemented in all nations.
