A recent WHO report referring to the 2009 worldwide H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic stated, “Although no
estimates of symptomatic case fatality ratios (sCFRs) were available from Africa and Southeast Asia, a
potentially high number of estimated pandemic deaths might have occurred in these regions. Therefore,
efforts to prevent influenza need to effectively target these regions in future pandemics.” The Vietnamese
Ministry of Health (MOH) may wish to establish a PPP in Vietnam because its interactions with WHO
have established the requirement to report a Public Health Emergency with International
Consequences. However, WHO describes the MOH’s reporting as substandard.
The Effort to Establish a Pandemic Prevention Program
A significant U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) strategy that interacts with many organizations to
develop a Vietnamese PPP is in progress. Although the CDC-US, along with many of the previously listed
IGO, NGO, and DOD organizations, has worked with Vietnam’s CDC-V to craft a pandemic flu plan, it
has yet to be approved. The lack of a specific person to oversee the Vietnam’ pandemic prevention project
presents challenges for persuading the MOH to approve and commence with the PPP’s
implementation. According to Paul Giannone, deputy division director, Global Disease Detection and
Emergency Response, CDC:
One challenge in Vietnam’s overall emergency response plan is that ther