ASEAN/ASEF
"PanStop Exercise Prepares for Influenza Pandemic"

September 6, 2013

Asia is recognised as a potential epicentre for emerging communicable diseases with pandemic potential, one of which is highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1). As of 12 March 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 622 cases of human infection with H5N1 virus, resulting in 371 (60%) deaths. The majority of these cases have occurred in Asian countries. Experts have stated that H5N1 has the potential to cause a pandemic in humans once it develops the ability to spread easily from one person to another. Rapid containment is one of the options to mitigate the threat which may be posed by an influenza pandemic by stopping or slowing down the further spread of the virus.

The Stockpile Projects for ASEAN and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) are very unique among other various projects involving JICS as the procurement agent. The role of JICS in the two projects is not limited to procurement of goods or services, but also includes proper management of the goods such as antiviral drugs and personal protective equipment (PPE). More importantly, in case that an influenza virus with potential to cause pandemic is found, JICS arranges the quick distribution of the regional stockpiles for rapid containment in accordance with instructions given by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO), which supports countries in the Asia Pacific region to control the international spread of disease.

On 15 and 16 January 2013, the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Viet Nam conducted a PanStop Exercise in collaboration with WPRO and WHO Country Office for Viet Nam. PanStop Exercises are a WPRO initiative designed to support countries to practice, test and strengthen various aspects of their decision making procedures to support a potential Government decision to launch a rapid containment operation. Viet Nam being one of the countries which have reported the world’s highest number of human cases for H5N1, the exercise aimed to assess the country's preparedness to initiate, conduct and manage a rapid containment operation with the intention of stopping or slowing the spread of an outbreak of influenza with pandemic potential. This was based on a scenario where an influenza outbreak occurred in the northern part of Viet Nam. The exercise also simulated the emergency transportation of the regional antiviral and PPE stocks to Viet Nam. JICS participated in the exercise to verify coordination and communication with WPRO as well as MOH Viet Nam, which become of particular importance in the rapid containment operation. As instructed by WPRO, JICS made timely arrangement for the simulated delivery of the antiviral medicines and PPE to Viet Nam through close coordination with the warehouse company in Singapore where the antivirals and PPE are stored and MOH Viet Nam. WPRO, with the participation of JICS, has carried out PanStop Exercises in different countries using different scenarios, contributing to developing the rapid containment strategy in the region.

No rapid containment operation requiring the deployment of the regional stockpiles has been conducted since the onset of the projects. It is important, however, that JICS prepares itself for the rapid containment operation by taking part in the exercises regularly, not to mention that JICS needs to build and continue cooperative relations with WPRO and MOH Viet Nam as well as other countries for the success of rapid containment.

Basic Information of This Project