On the role of vaccination in preparation for an influenza pandemic

In this advisory report dated 15 December 2011, the Health Council of the Netherlands addresses three requests for advice from the Minister of Health Welfare and Sport concerning the role of vaccination during influenza pandemics. A new category of influenza vaccines, capable of targeting the agents of potential future influenza pandemics, is now available. In 2007, with this in mind, the Minister asked whether the Netherlands would be better advised to use one of these prepandemic vaccines (against avian influenza virus (H5N1), for example).



Early in 2009, the advisory report was almost ready for publication when the Committee’s work was overtaken by the news that a new influenza virus from Mexico (influenza A/H1N1 2009) was spreading round the world. This prompted the Minister to submit a second, urgent, request for advice concerning the role of vaccination in combating that particular virus.



Finally, in a third request for advice, the Minister asked the Health Council to include in the general advisory report (on the role of vaccination in preparation for an influenza pandemic) details of the lessons learned from pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 (also known as New Influenza A or Swine Flu).