Public Health Emergencies

Online verson of the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan for the Health Sector introduced to minimize serious illness and overall deaths, and to minimize societal disruption among Canadians as a result of an influenza pandemic.

The Centre's mission is to facilitate and maintain optimal Canadian health emergency preparedness by providing expert consensus based on evidence and best practice.

Government of Canada information on the preparedness and response to a potential Influenza Pandemic.

During an emergency or disaster, the governments protects and assists the Canadian public. The governments deal with the possible risks from: Natural events and disasters such as outbreaks of disease, floods, earthquakes, fires and tornadoes; Emergencies such as transportation accidents, large chemical spills, nuclear incidents, power outages and terrorist threats. Health Canada is also the lead federal department responsible for coordinating the response to a nuclear or radiological emergency under the Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan (FNEP). Health Canada partners with the United Sates through the Canada-US Joint Radiological Emergency Response Plan to deal with a potential or actual radiological event that could affect both countries or be of a magnitude that assistance from the neighbouring country could be required.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Emergency Response Plan (MERP) provides the overall direction and guidance necessary for ministry staff to take immediate and decisive action in response to emergencies of any kind.
The MERP provides the basis for a rapid and coordinated response to any emergency situation. In the event of an emergency, the MERP is used to support and guide the ministry’s response activities when the ministry has a primary response role (health emergencies such as an outbreak of infectious disease); or a supporting role (emergencies such as a flood or forest fire with health service implications).

The Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response is Canada's central coordinating point for public health security issues.

This site is intended to increase people's ability to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. Information is provided about agents, diseases & other threats as well as resources for training and education.

Part of the Academic Health Center, University of Minnesota, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), is a global leader in addressing public health preparedness and emerging infectious disease response. With an emphasis on addressing emerging infectious disease issues that pose a real and significant international, national, and regional threat, CIDRAP has focused heavily on pandemic influenza preparedness for local health preparedness and businesses.

The Center for Health Policy (CHP), a research center of the Columbia University School of Nursing, works with institutional actors at the local, state, and national levels to develop and evaluate health policy initiatives. The CHP has become a leader in public health systems research in the burgeoning fields of emergency preparedness, law modernization, and workforce development.

NACCHO creates new tools and improves existing ones to help local health departments (LHDs) enhance their readiness to respond to public health emergencies and other disasters.

The National Center for Disaster Preparedness is an academically-based resource center dedicated to the study, analysis and enhancement of the nation's ability to prepare for and respond to major disasters, including terrorism. The NCDP's particular areas of interest include readiness of the health and public health systems, health workforce and citizen readiness, disaster communications, national preparedness benchmarks and the needs of special populations. In addition, the NCDP is concerned about the integration of preparedness efforts and the existing public health infrastructure.