University of Toronto, Toronto;
Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2009 Fall;20(3):63-e66. doi: 10.1155/2009/798387.
The international community has been preparing for an influenza pandemic because of the threat posed by H5N1 avian influenza. Over the past several years, Canada has dedicated funding to boost capacity for research, and public health and health care system readiness and response in the event of a pandemic. The current H1N1/09 influenza pandemic is now testing our readiness. From a research perspective, the present commentary discusses how have we prepared, along with the research gaps. We conclude that: sources of pandemics are not always predictable; investment in the past few years has paid off in a rapid response to pandemic H1N1/09 virus in Canada; and research to meet the challenges of infectious diseases has to be done on an ongoing long-term basis, and its funding has to be flexible, available and predictable to maintain capacity and expertise. In addition, new vaccine technologies are needed to develop and produce vaccines for public health emergencies in a timely fashion.
由于 H5N1 禽流感的威胁，国际社会一直在为流感大流行做准备。在过去的几年中，加拿大专门拨出资金，以提高研究能力，以及公共卫生和卫生保健系统在大流行情况下的准备和应对能力。当前的 H1N1/09 流感大流行正在考验我们的准备情况。从研究的角度来看，本评论讨论了我们是如何准备的，以及存在的研究差距。我们的结论是：大流行的源头并不总是可以预测的；过去几年的投资在加拿大对 H1N1/09 病毒大流行的快速反应中得到了回报；应对传染病挑战的研究必须在长期基础上进行，其资金必须具有灵活性、可用性和可预测性，以保持能力和专业知识。此外，需要开发新的疫苗技术，以便及时为公共卫生紧急情况生产疫苗。
