Secretary Sebelius Attends High Level Meeting on Influenza A (H1N1) Lessons Learned and Preparedness in Cancun Mexico July 1-3, 2009

July 3, 2009 - HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and health ministers from 40 other countries discussed pandemic preparedness and lessons learned from the 2009 influenza pandemic at a high-level summit organized and hosted by Mexican President Felipe Calderon with support from the United States and Canada in Cancun July 2-3.  Other key participants at this meeting included World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Mirta Roses, and influenza experts from several international organizations.

Vaccine and antiviral availability was a top agenda item.  Secretary Sebelius announced that the United States will provide 420,000 treatment courses of Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) to PAHO to fight the novel H1N1 influenza in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Discussions also focused on human and animal influenza virus surveillance, border and airport screening measures, clinical aspects of the infections, hospital response and surge capacity, antiviral treatment and prophylaxis, vaccines, personal protective measures and social measures.  During her address to the plenary session, Secretary Sebelius emphasized the importance of effective risk communication during the 2009 pandemic and previous pandemics.  She stated providing accurate, consistent, transparent and timely information based on scientific evidence is essential.

HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Thomas Frieden and HHS/CDC Director of Influenza Coordination Stephen Redd delivered presentations on U.S. experiences with respect to H1N1 response.  Their presentations included discussion on preparedness planning and the need for flexibility; and the role of a possible H1N1 vaccine and potential target groups for vaccination.

Many conference participants remarked that the preparedness efforts undertaken throughout the past few years were an important investment and contributed to a more effective response to H1N1, but as the pandemic continues to evolve, flexibility and preparing for the unexpected will be important.

Last revised: August 05, 2009