Rapid actions by national and international health authorities are necessary to slow transmission and break the chain of transmission, before an epidemic may become a pandemic.
Detection, investigation, and reporting of the first cases must happen quickly for rapid containment of a pandemic to be possible. Ultimately, the decision to launch a containment operation lies with national authorities. The basic containment strategy uses a geographically based approach in which antiviral medications and non-pharmaceutical measures are used within a defined area surrounding the initial cases to restrict the virus from spreading beyond the Containment Zone. WHO protocols should be used by countries as a foundation to build more detailed operational plans and procedures, as well as by international groups that may have a substantial role in these operations. They will be updated and revised as new information becomes available and more detailed guidance and tools are developed. Countries are strongly encouraged to develop and integrate containment planning into their national pandemic influenza preparedness plans.
