A message from the Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity

The new strain of H1N1 influenza that emerged this spring has reached global pandemic levels. While many questions about this health threat remain unanswered, Canada is well-positioned to deal with the challenges that arise as pandemic H1N1/09 continues to spread.

In 2006, in the wake of the SARS crisis and the threat of an avian influenza outbreak, Canada began preparing for a potential pandemic situation. At that time, the Federal Government made a $21.5 million investment in pandemic preparedness research. With that investment, the CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity established the Pandemic Preparedness Strategic Research Initiative (PPSRI) to support influenza research and build Canada's pandemic research capacity. These investments are already having an impact.

We are collaborating with partners such as the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to examine the progress of already-funded research to see if there are any results that can be implemented by those on the front line. Meanwhile, through meetings, PPSRI is facilitating research collaboration and establishing a dialogue between researchers, industry, health-care professionals and policy makers.

On July 8, 2009, CIHR, the Rx&D Health Research Foundation and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) hosted a meeting for researchers and other stakeholders to discuss the current pandemic situation and how they will respond in the upcoming flu season. This meeting was a valuable opportunity for influenza researchers to connect with one another and identify gaps in our knowledge. Moving forward, these researchers will be focusing on several key questions, such as why some people infected with pandemic H1N1/09 experience severe illness, and how to effectively implement a pandemic immunization program when a vaccine is available.

CIHR-funded researchers are addressing multiple issues spanning from biology, ethics and immune response to public health and health services. The PHAC/CIHR Influenza Research Network is evaluating vaccines that could reduce the spread of the virus. The research community is working with populations that have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, such as Aboriginal communities, to determine why and what can be done to prevent this in the fall. Most importantly, Canada's researchers are not working in isolation. They are communicating with many stakeholders to ensure that new research results get to the people who can use them in developing strategies to combat the pandemic.

Through cooperation and careful planning, we can produce research results that will benefit Canadians and others around the globe.

Bhagirath Singh, PhD
Scientific Director
CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity