Confidence in our ability to respond quickly to a global pandemic may be a little shaky these days. Vaccine shortages for the current H1N1 outbreak – and confusion over its delivery – has prompted some to wonder what would happen if this pandemic were more serious.

The fact there are glitches in the rollout of Canada’s largest-ever vaccination program is not surprising. The real question is how we can learn from these challenges and adapt accordingly.

There are some practical problems that Canada will have to look at. Vaccine supply and its distribution are both areas were improvements can be found. Indeed, as frustration mounted this week, Canada’s auditor general Sheila Fraser reported the country remained ill-prepared for an emergency, despite a six-year effort to establish a national strategy. Failure to develop that co-ordinated approach has meant H1N1 response is, Fraser told reporters, “...not as efficient as it could be.”

The vaccination program – handled under provincial jurisdiction – is another area that will require work.

The Province of Alberta provided the best example of what not to do. It opened only a handful of clinics to anyone wanting the vaccine, regardless of their risk. When it looked like the voracious demand would outstrip supply, Alberta was forced to suspend vaccinations, reopening it later to only at-risk groups. British Columbia has had more success, but delivery has hardly been seamless.

Public health officials will no doubt be looking at these deficiencies and suggesting ways to improve response.

But more challenging will be addressing an issue less concrete than the nuts-and-bolts practicality of distribution: confidence.

Regaining that confidence is no less important than ensuring adequate supply and efficient distribution. By all accounts, the H1N1 flu is not the virulent pandemic that many scientists still predict will one day occur.

But it is a test. How well we respond to that test will determine how well we handle the next health emergency.

—Chilliwack Progress