MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London
Science for Health
WHO Influenza Centre evidence to Select Committee
19 October 2010
The WHO Influenza Centre at NIMR has submitted evidence to a Select Committee enquiry into Scientific advice and evidence in emergencies.
The House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology agreed on 27 July 2010 to conduct an inquiry into Scientific advice and evidence in emergencies. One of the case studies they will examine is the 2009 swine flu pandemic. The Committee has now published all submissions of written evidence, including one from NIMR's WHO Influenza Centre and one from Research Councils UK to which the WHO Influenza Centre contributed.
The evidence from RCUK notes that although the 2009 H1N1 pandemic potentially posed a major challenge to public health, the outbreak was not as severe as previous pandemics. This was because the virus, initially identified in USA and then very quickly spread around the world, did not increase in virulence in humans and resistance to antiviral drugs was also only seen sporadically, most frequently associated with use of antiviral medicines. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies was initially established during the H1N1 pandemic and played an important role in the response to the emergency. Some suggestions for strengthening the Group are made in the evidence.
Investment by the MRC to expand infrastructure at NIMR meant that it was ready and able within 72 hours of the first recognition of the new pandemic virus to handle and process any samples that might be received. Clinical samples and virus isolates from over 50 countries, including the UK, were processed at NIMR creating an integrated picture of the virus evolution worldwide.
The evidence from the WHO Influenza Centre was provided by the Centre's Director, John McCauley (pictured). It focused on the importance of international coordination and how could it be strengthened. The WHO's Global Influenza Surveillance Network plays an important role in supporting international coordination in identifying newly emerging strains of influenza virus. This was clearly seen in the emergence of the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. Agreements on international sharing of genetic data and of viruses are crucial to effective vaccine development, monitoring antigenic drift, monitoring antiviral resistance, and monitoring changes in virulence and pathogenicity.
The WHO Collaborating Centre for Influenza at NIMR played an international role by integrating results from around the world with other WHO Collaborating Centres, by assisting countries with less capability by carrying out virus isolation and characterization, sharing protocols and providing training, and by examining viruses from numerous countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia for changes in antigenicity, virulence and drug resistance. It is important that the UK continues to play an international role in the global response to influenza.
John McCauley, Director of WHO Influenza Centre at NIMR
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