Influenza pandemics are unpredictable but recurring events that can have serious consequences on human health and economic well-being worldwide. Advance planning and preparedness are critical for countries to mitigate the risk and impact of a pandemic, ensuring that they have sustainable and resilient capacities for an efficient pandemic response.

Considerable efforts and resources have been invested by countries around the world in developing national pandemic influenza preparedness plans, and the capacities needed to respond to an influenza pandemic. However, to be effective, plans need to be tested, validated and updated periodically through simulation exercises. Consequently A practical guide for developing and conducting simulation exercises to test and validate pandemic influenza preparedness plans

is published on 4^th of September 2018. Download here.

The aim of the simulation exercise guide1is to support countries in developing and conducting simulation exercises to test and validate their national pandemic influenza preparedness plans. It is intended to provide practical guidance on how to select, plan, conduct and evaluate simulation exercises specific to pandemic influenza preparedness and response, and how to set up a process for using the outcomes of these exercises to review and improve pandemic influenza preparedness plans

This guide covers several important sections like selecting an exercise, planning the exercise, developing the scenario, planning the evaluation, staging the exercise and developing the follow-up actions after the exercise. The countries that are in or preparing to start the planning process for addressing broader health security threats, e.g., the development of National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS), it is crucial to consider linking the planning processes and to develop and conduct simulation exercises to test and validate their national pandemic influenza preparedness plans.