Planning for uncertainty: a European approach to informing responses to the severity of influenza epidemics and pandemics
Angus Nicoll
Volume 89, Number 7, July 2011, 542-544
Table 2. Seriousness matrix for seasonal influenza in Europe, December 2010
| Category | Seriousness | Potential actions and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Personal response | Amber | Alert public to strengthen personal hygiene and early self isolation |
| Primary care pressures | Amber | Consider enacting back-up plans |
| Immunization | Red | Recommend making clinical groups, including pregnant women, the top priority but continue immunizing older people |
| Antiviral resistance | Green | No change in policy justifiable but monitor resistance |
| Public health measures | Green | Not justified by the evidence |
| Secondary care pressures | Red | Some stresses on intensive care units consider back-up plans |
| Special groups | Red | Clinical risk groups |
| Social care pressures | Green | No case for enacting back-up to enact plans |
| Critical cross-sector services | Green | No threat – no case for enacting back-up plans |
| Special features | Amber | Need to respond to unexpected deaths in young healthy adults and children. Role of invasive bacterial infections? |