Strategies for Preparedness of Responding to Possible Pandemic of Novel Influenza in Taipei Metropolitan Area

Muh-Yong Yen

2007 Vol.23 NO.1

Correspondence Author： Muh-Yong Yen

Abstract：

Back in year 2003, Taipei Metropolitan Area fell into an eye of storm during the early stage of a devastating outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and resulted in heavy casualties. Luckily, Taipei City health authority managed to hold on its footings and wasted no time at all to actively engage itself in a systematic government administrative disease prevention program, developed and based on the concept of “process management highlighting moving-line controls,” after the initial shockwave of SARS subsided, to get prepared before the possible return of the horrifying SARS hurricane. This particular program has four stages coded by 0, A, B, and C. Each stage sets a separate crisis-managing mode defined and based on an Incident Command System (ICS), and each of such disease control preparing mode is further divided into four successive steps including minimizing damage, preparation stage, coping with changes, and restoring the situation. The preparation stage was aimed at three main directions: