Pandemic influenza: Public health preparedness for the next global health emergency

Pandemic influenza viral infections pose a highly viralent and very real threat to the public's health. Recent vaccine shortages have heightened the interest in. and need for, influenza preparedness on a global scale. This article identifies the primary interventions desinged to prevent pandemic influenza explores the inevitable legal and ethical questions associated with such interventions, and recommends the adoption of ethical values in public health decision-making.