Lessons From a Virus: Public Health Laboratories Respond to the H1N1 Pandemic

The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic required rapid mobilization of public health laboratories around the world. The speed with which labs at the CDC and worldwide responded is a testament to how far we had come in just a few years. The H1N1 pandemic also highlighted areas where we need to improve so we can more effectively address the next global disease threat. On April 15, while I was still serving as New York City’s Health Commissioner, CDC labs detected the first case of H1N1 in California. About a week later and shortly after a larger number of cases of H1N1 were confirmed in Mexico, there was an outbreak of respiratory disease at a city high school. Given the large number of cases—more than 100 in just two days—and the knowledge of a possible global pandemic, we needed to know as quickly as possible whether H1N1 had arrived.

Effective international pandemic response requires that all sectors of government and civil society be as prepared as possible; that all of these groups work in close partnerships that complement each other’s strengths; and that communications among policymakers, health professionals, and the public be timely, accurate, clear, and consistent. Labs will continue to be at the core of pandemic detection and response. H1N1 revealed a general need to strengthen global public health lab systems so that they have the capacity and workforce able to act swiftly and decisively.