Kerman University of Medical Sciences International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2322-5939 7 2 2018 02 01 Public Health Policy and Experience of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pandemic in Pune, India 154 166 3361 10.15171/ijhpm.2017.54 EN Vidula Purohit The Maharashtra Association of Anthropological Sciences, Centre for Health Research and Development, Pune, India Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India Abhay Kudale The Maharashtra Association of Anthropological Sciences, Centre for Health Research and Development, Pune, India Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India Neisha Sundaram Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore Saju Joseph The Maharashtra Association of Anthropological Sciences, Centre for Health Research and Development, Pune, India Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India Christian Schaetti Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Mitchell G. Weiss Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Journal Article 2016 09 13 Background <br />Prior experience and the persisting threat of influenza pandemic indicate the need for global and local preparedness and public health response capacity. The pandemic of 2009 highlighted the importance of such planning and the value of prior efforts at all levels. Our review of the public health response to this pandemic in Pune, India, considers the challenges of integrating global and national strategies in local programmes and lessons learned for influenza pandemic preparedness. <br />  <br />Methods <br />Global, national and local pandemic preparedness and response plans have been reviewed. In-depth interviews were undertaken with district health policy-makers and administrators who coordinated the pandemic response in Pune. <br />  <br />Results <br />In the absence of a comprehensive district-level pandemic preparedness plan, the response had to be improvised. Media reporting of the influenza pandemic and inaccurate information that was reported at times contributed to anxiety in the general public and to widespread fear and panic. Additional challenges included inadequate public health services and reluctance of private healthcare providers to treat people with flu-like symptoms. Policy-makers developed a response strategy that they referred to as the <em>Pune plan</em>, which relied on powers sanctioned by the Epidemic Act of 1897 and resources made available by the union health ministry, state health department and a government diagnostic laboratory in Pune. <br />  <br />Conclusion <br />The World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) global strategy for pandemic control focuses on national planning, but state-level and local experience in a large nation like India shows how national planning may be adapted and implemented. The priority of local experience and requirements does not negate the need for higher level planning. It does, however, indicate the importance of local adaptability as an essential feature of the planning process. Experience and the implicit <em>Pune plan</em> that emerged are relevant for pandemic preparedness and other public health emergencies. https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3361_5a21262a5f4025329f5995bf01052de8.pdf