During recent years WHO has encouraged Member States to establish a pandemic preparedness to strengthen national response to an influenza pandemic and thereby reduce the burden of morbidity and mortality caused by a pandemic and lessen the negative impact a pandemic may have on society as a whole.

In the past years, WHO/Europe has supported Member States in their efforts to strengthen preparedness for an influenza pandemic by organizing workshops, trainings and country missions on pandemic preparedness planning. With the outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) and the declaration of the pandemic (H1N1) 2009, WHO will continue to support Member States to strengthen their capacities to respond to the pandemic.

In April 2009, WHO issued its revised global guidance on pandemic preparedness to Member States which reflects new scientific findings and which to a greater extent is based on experiences from pandemic planning in Member States. The new publication contains more detailed guidance on community-level disease control and response and it includes guidance on pandemic planning in the whole society.