An Evaluation of the Public Health Response to the Pandemic Outbreak of Novel Influenze H1N1

The current outbreak of Novel Influenza H1N1 continues to expand with an almost 100,000 confirmed cases of H1N1 and over 400 deaths worldwide. As a resurgence of Influenza H1N1 during the fall 2009 flu season is likely, a careful evaluation of the public health response to the current Influenza H1N1 outbreak is prudent. The purpose of this study is to investigate the utility of the public health response to H1N1 from the viewpoint of state and local public health, primary care, and pharmacy practitioners. The aim is to better understand information seeking, information flow, information receipt, and information use by these practitioners regarding the H1N1 epidemic, in order to inform improvements in real- time information- sharing during the next similar epidemic. This study has been approved by the University of Kentucky Institutional Review Board.