The International Forum on Pandemic Influenza 2010 was held on 24-25 July 2010 in Qingdao, China, with the aim of sharing experience from the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, and to further explore future pandemic prevention strategies. The forum was organized by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) and co-organized by Elsevier. It was supported by the Ministry of Health of PR China (MOH), World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) and Vaccine journal. The forum attracted more than 600 participants from public health, emergency management, disease control, prevention and healthcare organizations from China and worldwide.

WHO has been keeping a close eye on the development of the pandemic since its outbreak, and adjusted the alert level to Phase 6 on 11 June 2009, marking the first global pandemic since the 1968 Hong Kong flu. Dr Nahoko Shindo, Medical Officer, WHO Global Influenza Programme and Dr Vivek Shinde, WHO Pandemic Influenza Surveillance and Monitoring Team reported the global status of the H1N1 influenza pandemic and the disease burden of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
The H1N1 influenza pandemic has led to more consideration regarding the role that animals play in the pandemic. The World Bank highlighted the theme of “One World, One Health” at the forum, appealing to public health experts to work hand in hand with experts in animal research for better preparedness in the event of a future pandemic.

Dr Toby Merlin, Deputy Director of the Influenza Coordination Unit of the US CDC had high praise for the contribution that the Chinese government has made in the fight against the pandemic outbreak. He looked forward to continued Sino-US cooperation in the public health area, through experience sharing, exchange and cooperation at the meeting.

It is the third time Elsevier has co-organized this international influenza conference. Victor Lam, Managing Director, Elsevier Health Science, Greater China and Korea, said, “In response to the influenza pandemic, substantial progress and many discoveries have been reported in Elsevier publications. Elsevier hopes to continue to build platforms which facilitate broad exchange between professionals, especially in public health, to promote the advancement of medical science.”
Thirteen organizations, including The Lancet and Vaccine (both published by Elsevier), European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), and International Vaccine Institute (IVI) provided support to the forum. Dr Bruce Weniger, Associate Editor of Vaccine, gave two morning courses on how to design clinical research and get it successfully published in international journals.

At the closing ceremony, Dr CK Lee, Head of the Working Group of Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response Team, WHO China, said, “compared to last year’s event organized by China MOH, this year’s forum topics have expanded to cover pandemic early surveillance, influenza R&D, and animal studies. The forum also highlights the great progress China has made in the response to the pandemic influenza.” According to Dr Lee, WHO and the Chinese government have reached a consensus on multiple issues in this forum, such as the setting up of the early monitoring system.

Dr Weizhong Yang, Deputy Director-General of China CDC, said in his closing remarks, the response to the influenza pandemic needs more cooperation globally than ever before. “This conference will strengthen the scientific understanding of virology, clinical science, epidemiology, and intervention of H1N1 influenza both in China and worldwide”, he said. He urged all related parties to strengthen cooperation and communication, improve the surveillance, control and prevention of future pandemic outbreaks for the benefit of the whole world.

The forum was sponsored by 14 vaccine manufacturers and biopharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott, and Tianyuan Bio-Pharma.