Public Health Crisis Preparedness and Response in Korea

Lee, Hye-Young; Oh, Mi-Na; Park, Yong-Shik; Chu, Chaeshin; Son, Tae-Jong

WHO's global influenza preparedness plan in 2005 recommended that each member state prepare a plan for pandemic influenza and provide national preparedness and response. Korea provided the plan for pandemic influenza preparedness and response in 2006. The Team of Training for Public Health Crisis was set up to prepare for a tabletop exercise for pandemic influenza in Korea to measure the casualties in Korea using a mathematical model, to identify medical resources in 2006 [5] . The team belonged to the Division of Epidemic Intelligence Service. In 2007, the team separated from this division and became an independent division in KCDC. The division has prepared to secure medical resources, to provide manuals, and to train public health personnel in case of an emerging infectious disease causing public health crises. In 2009, it successfully counteracted the pandemic influenza A (H1N1). The division is currently involved in revising the pandemic influenza preparedness and response plan based on the 2009 influenza pandemic experience, so that the revised version would contain international cooperation and newly adapted environments in Korea.