Pandemic influenza

The Government is investing considerable resource in contingency planning for a potential flu pandemic in the UK.

Department of Health

  • Department of Health pandemic flu guidance [42]includes key facts, FAQs, the National Framework for responding to a Pandemic Influenza, infection control guidance as well as the Chief Medical Officer's guide for health professionals and the public.

Health and Safety Executive

HSE has developed general guidance for employers and employees to use if the Chief Medical Officer declares a pandemic flu within the UK.

Healthcare workers

Health and social care influenza pandemic preparedness and response' has been developed by Department of Health (DH) and the Public Health England (PHE), in consultation with HSE to facilitate planning by NHS Trusts in advance of the emergence of the next influenza pandemic. This guidance, below, includes advice on preparedness planning, occupational health, infection control precautions (including the use of personal protective equipment), and environmental infection control.

Health and social care influenza pandemic preparedness and response' (Pandemic influenza: guidance for infection control in hospitals and primary care settings) (PDF) [44]

Laboratory workers

The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) has issued guidance for laboratory workers handling flu viruses, including avian, animal and human influenza viruses. This covers routine work with the viruses, both intentional and diagnostic.

Advice on working with influenza viruses (PDF) [45]

Business continuity planning

For the purposes of business continuity planning, local authorities and all businesses will wish to consider the likely effects, including any health and safety effects, of a pandemic on their organisations and the measures that may need to be taken to manage these.

General advice can be found at

The UK Influenza Preparedness Strategy 2011 (Pandemic flu: A national framework for responding to an influenza pandemic) (PDF) [46]

Link URLs in this page

  1. Biosafetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/index.htm
  2. Safety noticeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/notices/index.htm
  3. Overview - The regulation of specified animal pathogenshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/sapo.htm
  4. Background on the regulation of specified animal pathogenshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/background.htm
  5. SAPO Application processhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/app-process.htm
  6. How do I make my application?https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/how-do-i.htm
  7. Notifying accidents and dangerous occurrencehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/notify.htm
  8. Guidance on Appeals for Notices issued under SAPOhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/guidance-appeals-sapo.htm
  9. Overview - Infections at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/infection.htm
  10. Preventing infections at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/about.htm
  11. HSE and infectionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/hseandinfection.htm
  12. Overview - Are you at risk?https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/microorganisms.htm
  13. Laboratory workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/laboratories.htm
  14. Healthcarehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/healthcare.htm
  15. Overview - Specific infectionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/index.htm
  16. Overview - Influenzahttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/influenza.htm
  17. Avian influenzahttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/avianflu.htm
  18. Pandemic influenzahttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/pandemic.htm
  19. Workplace guidancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/pandflu.htm
  20. Anthraxhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/anthrax.htm
  21. Zoonoseshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/zoonoses.htm
  22. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/bovine.htm
  23. Handling the deceased with suspected or confirmed COVIDhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/handling-the-deceased.htm
  24. What the Law says about Biosafetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/law.htm
  25. Biosafety Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/information.htm
  26. Useful linkshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/links.htm
  27. Blood-borne viruseshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/blood-borne-viruses/index.htm
  28. Overview - GMOhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/index.htm
  29. What are GMOs?https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/whatare.htm
  30. Who is responsible for GMO (CU) Regulations?https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/whos-responsible.htm
  31. GMOs and the lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/law.htm
  32. GMO Notificationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/notifications/index.htm
  33. What do I notify?https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/notifications/what.htm
  34. How do I notify?https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/notifications/process.htm
  35. Feeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/notifications/fees.htm
  36. Appealshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/notifications/appeals.htm
  37. Confidentiality and disclosure of notified datahttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/notifications/confid.htm
  38. Description of the Public Registerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/notifications/publicregister.htm
  39. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/information.htm
  40. The SACGM Compendium of Guidancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/acgm/acgmcomp/index.htm
  41. Risk assessment guidancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/gmo/acgm/index.htm
  42. Department of Health pandemic flu guidance https://www.gov.uk/pandemic-flu
  43. Pandemic Flu: Workplace Guidancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/diseases/pandflu.htm
  44. Health and social care influenza pandemic preparedness and response' (Pandemic influenza: guidance for infection control in hospitals and primary care settings)https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213696/dh_133656.pdf
  45. Advice on working with influenza viruseshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/assets/docs/acdpflu.pdf
  46. The UK Influenza Preparedness Strategy 2011 (Pandemic flu: A national framework for responding to an influenza pandemic)https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213717/dh_131040.pdf
  47. Approved list of biological agentshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/misc208.pdf
  48. More resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/information.htm
  49. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairshttps://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs
  50. Department of Healthhttps://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health
  51. Food Standards Agencyhttp://www.food.gov.uk/

Glossary of abbreviations/acronyms on this page

GMO
Genetically modified organisms

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Updated 2022-05-13