Canada's Pandemic Preparedness Plan
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History of pandemic preparedness planning in Canada
In 1988, Canada was among the first countries to develop a national pandemic plan, which focused on pandemic influenza. Over time, this plan evolved into the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Planning Guidance for the Health Sector. Although its focus was to guide Canada through an influenza pandemic, it still provided a foundation for the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Canada learned a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic and gained valuable lessons on how to respond to diseases that could cause a pandemic. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is using this knowledge, along with best practices from the World Health Organization, to strengthen pandemic preparedness planning.
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About Canada's Pandemic Preparedness Plan
To make sure Canada is ready to respond to future pandemics, PHAC is developing Canada's Pandemic Preparedness Plan in collaboration with:
- provinces and territories
- First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners
- pandemic preparedness experts
The plan provides a flexible framework and harmonized approach to federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) health sector pandemic preparedness. It focuses on respiratory pathogens with pandemic potential and aligns with the World Health Organization's Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats framework.
In developing this plan, we conducted:
- an assessment of existing plans
- extensive consultations with our collaborators
- reviews of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic within the Canadian context and identified areas for improvement
The plan will be updated as needed so that:
- it remains relevant as science progresses and evidence evolves
- new lessons learned can be applied from our collective experiences
We encourage FPT partners to use this plan as a framework to build their own plans to prepare for future pandemics. Being prepared before a pandemic arises helps us build the systems, capacities and plans we need to respond effectively.
The plan consists of 2 parts:
- core content
- technical components
Core content
The core content establishes fundamental elements of the plan, including context for planning, overarching principles and strategic advice for pandemic preparedness planning.
Access Canada's Pandemic Preparedness Plan Core Content
Technical components
The technical components will provide detailed technical recommendations and planning considerations. These 5 components were adapted from those outlined in the World Health Organization's Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats framework. They include:
- healthcare services
- community protection
- medical countermeasures
- emergency and science coordination
- collaborative surveillance and data integration
The technical components will become available throughout 2027.
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