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Ministry Programs

Influenza Pandemic

Information for First Responders

Role of Federal, Provincial and Local Agencies

Ontario’s health response plan, the Ontario Health Plan for an Influenza Pandemic (OHPIP), is based on coordination and collaboration among governments and jurisdictions. Planning must occur at all levels : internationally, nationally, provincially and locally. Each level of government has different roles but their plans must be coordinated.

The following is an overview of the roles for each level of government :

Internationally – The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for coordinating a global response to an influenza pandemic. The WHO has established the phases for pandemic planning and made recommendations about how all jurisdictions should plan for and manage a pandemic.

Federal – The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), headed by the Chief Public Health Officer, will provide leadership at the federal level to coordinate surveillance, investigation and vaccine activities.

Other roles include :

1. Procuring/distributing diagnostic reagents and technical information to provincial/territorial public health laboratories;
2. Establishing a domestic influenza vaccine manufacturing capacity;
3. Acquiring influenza vaccine and antiviral drugs and allocating them equitably to provinces and territories; and
4. Developing national policy on prophylaxis.

Provincial – The Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care take the lead role at the provincial level on responding to health emergencies, including a pandemic.

Roles and responsibilities will include :

1. Implementing national recommendations for surveillance and immunization programs;
2. Maintaining provincial surveillance activities, reporting diseases caused by influenza and participating in national surveillance activities;
3. Coordinating investigations of outbreaks and clusters of febrile respiratory illness/influenza-like illness;
4. Undertaking tasks most effectively done at the provincial level (e.g., bulk purchasing equipment, stockpiling and distributing medical supplies, vaccine and antivirals to the local level);
5. Providing guidelines and direction to local public health authorities to ensure a consistent response across the province;
6. Supporting special studies to enhance the province’s capacity to manage a pandemic;
7. Coordinating public education programs;
8. Providing guidelines and direction to local public health authorities and local pandemic planning groups; and
9. Providing guidance and direction to the health fields.

This will be accomplished, under the leadership of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, by following the OHPIP well as working with our federal and local counterparts.

The goal is to limit the spread of pandemic flu, provide the health services Ontarians need, and minimize societal disruption as a result of the pandemic.

In addition, the Commissioner of Emergency Management and Emergency Management Ontario will support the province’s response through coordination of activities beyond the health sector (e.g. in other ministries and municipalities) and management of resources.

It is recognized that during a pandemic an emergency response outside the health sector would be required. The Provincial Coordination Plan for an Influenza Pandemic (PCPIP), currently in draft form, outlines the roles and responsibilities of ministries outside of the health sector. The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS) is developing a ministry pandemic plan to address the processes and strategies required to fulfill those roles identified in the PCPIP.

The MCSCS is committed to ensuring that Ontario's communities are supported and protected by law enforcement and public safety systems that are safe, secure, effective, efficient and accountable. During an emergency, such as a pandemic, the MCSCS would liaise with community stakeholders, as required, to direct ministerial response and recovery and allocation of ministry resources. For example, if a police or fire service required additional resources, beyond any of the existing Memorandum of Understanding, a request would be made to the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, from the community. The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre would then advise the MCSCS to coordinate and deploy the necessary resources.

Local – Local communities and health units are responsible for developing their own influenza pandemic plans that will coordinate local resources minimizing the impact of a pandemic. They will be assisted by the upcoming release of the Guidelines for the Development of Municipal Influenza Pandemic Response Plans. The roles and responsibilities of local communities and public health units are :

1. Maintaining a local surveillance system, reporting clusters of febrile respiratory illness/influenza-like illness, and investigating outbreaks;
2. Developing plans to provide mass immunization and distribute vaccines, antiviral drugs and medical supplies within their communities;
3. Liaising with local partners (e.g., emergency responders, hospitals, community services, mortuary services, schools, workplaces);
4. Assessing capacity of local health services, including health human resources, and helping health services identify additional/alternate resources;
5. Defining clear responsibilities for communication at the local and facility level during a pandemic;
6. Collaborating with the provincial government to deliver public information and education programs; and
7. Delivering mass vaccination/prophylaxis program.

The local Medical Officer of Health has responsibility for coordinating planning within the health sector and, in many communities, is leading the overall municipal pandemic plan development. In addition, First Responder groups will be provided direction by their respective supervisor.