Conference on "Pandemic Flu" - Milan, April 30, 2010.

On 30th April 2010 a congress was held in one of the public halls at the Department of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Milano to evaluate the preventive strategies used against the recent A/H1N1v pandemic.
The congress was organized by the postgraduate School of Public Health of the University of Brescia, Milan and Pavia, the Italian Public Health Society and Healthreats.

After beginning at the end of April 2009, in just a few months the A/H1N1v virus spread to almost all countries around the world with some differences in each country. Only one characteristic was similar in all countries: the main target population of the virus was young people (ages 4-18). The virus spread very quickly and the number of people infected brought to mind the three flu pandemics of the last century.

The Congress, entitled “Flu pandemic: Lessons from the past and considerations for the present”, began with a very interesting history by Prof. Alessandro Porro of the University of Brescia of the pandemic flu starting with the first one at the end of the 19th century for which we have recorded data.
Dr. Paolo Galimberti and Antonia Francesca Franchini then described the role of the Ospedale Maggiore during the Spanish flu. The Ospedale Maggiore is now a research and teaching hospital in the centre of Milan but it was built in the middle of the 15th century and in its archives it has recorded everything which has happened in the city since then. It was very interesting to examine with them the epidemiological data which show the same characteristics as the 2009 pandemic. The speakers also illustrated some experimental and traditional treatments which were tried to fight the disease.
Prof. Alessandro Zanetti of the University of Milano delivered an excellent lecture on the pandemic virus. He explained the characteristics of the virus, its capacity to modify its surface antigens and the strategic role of vaccine.
Prof. Umberto Gelatti of the University of Brescia, commented on the communication strategies implemented during recent months regarding the pandemic flu by the media and underlined its incapacity to give the population a realistic view of the situation. He analysed the news flow which occurred last summer and autumn in the Italian press and reminded the audience of the uncertainty of those weeks but also noted that official health information was highly understated in its delivery which did not help to make the situation clear.
Dr. Carmelo Scarcella, the chairman of the Healthreats project, illustrated the aims of the EU crisis management program . Other sectors, for example think of the industrial sector, developed crisis management strategies some time ago, whereas the public health sector has only faced this topic for a few years and only now are the first computerised support systems available.
Prof. Silvana Castaldi with the students of the postgraduate School of Public Health of the University of Brescia and Milano presented the application of the WHO checklist for influenza pandemic preparedness planning to the pandemic plan prepared by eight local health authorities of the Lombardy Region.
At the beginning of this century the WHO prepared a check list regarding what must be included in an influenza pandemic plan to face a pandemic event. The WHO invited each member country to write its own pandemic plan and Italy did so in 2002. According to the dispositions of the Italian National Health Service each Local Health Authority had to write its own plan and keep it up to date.
The application of the WHO checklist demonstrated that the eight local health authorities of the Lombardy Region were not ready to face a pandemic event and it is realistic to think that Italy as a whole is not ready to face a pandemic event.
The discussion at the end of the presentations was very interesting and showed the strong participation of the audience/attendees.