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Institut Pasteur and U.S. Scientific Relations

HHS Partnership on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a component of the U.S. Government, which includes such as agencies as the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health.

Since 2006, HHS and the Institut Pasteur have carried out an international partnership on pandemic influenza preparedness. The aim of the project is to strengthen global capacity to detect influenza viruses that may trigger a human pandemic. Work now focuses on building capacity in terms of surveillance, epidemiological investigation, testing, diagnosis, and control of infectious disease in countries affected by and at risk for the spread of the H5N1 influenza strain. Regions involved are South East Asia, Africa and France. The project also focuses on the exchange of technical expertise to foster rapid response to disease threats.

The 2009 outbreaks of Swine Flu demonstrate the threat of a global influenza pandemic, which demands global, regional and national attention, and preparation. The HHS Deputy Secretary, Alex Azar, said in 2006 “…that response to a pandemic is a shared responsibility….This partnership will substantially strengthen the capacity to prepare for and respond to a pandemic in countries where avian influenza is now endemic in poultry and where human infections and deaths have occurred. We are very pleased to partner with the Institut Pasteur, an internationally respected research institute with such an impressive global network of institutes.”

“The Avian Flu and respiratory diseases have been our constant concern, especially in the Pasteur Institutes in the Asian region,” Institut Pasteur President Professor Alice Dautry said. “We have placed a heavy focus on them since 2004 and heartily welcome this new partnership with HHS to fight the potential pandemic. This is a unique opportunity to join efforts to fight infectious diseases upfront.”

Health professionals are concerned that the continued and expanded spread of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, endemic in poultry populations, across eastern Asia and other parts of the world, represents a significant threat to global health security. The H5N1 virus has raised concerns about a potential human pandemic because it is especially virulent; spread by migratory birds; transmitted from birds to mammals, and, in some limited circumstances, to humans; and like other influenza viruses, it continues to evolve. Since 2003, a growing number of human H5N1 cases have been reported in Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Turkey, and more than half of the people infected with the H5N1 virus have died. Exposure to infected poultry is believed to have caused all these cases. The concern is that H5N1 will evolve into a virus capable of sustained human-to-human transmission.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Institut Pasteur and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the occasion of the Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO), in Geneva, on May 27, 2009. The agreement unites the efforts of these two organizations – both leaders in the field of global public health – by creating a framework for shared and lasting actions to benefit public health and health security at the international level. This Memorandum of Understanding will reinforce the exchange of information and the realization of collaborative actions around the globe, notably with regard to initiatives supported by the WHO that aim to improve global health security and fight infectious disease. The objective is to optimize the response of both institutions by enhanced coordination, particularly during emergency situations, such as the outbreak of new epidemics. The leadership of the Institut Pasteur and the U.S. CDC hope furthermore to unite their efforts to implement the International Health Regulations through a mutually agreed-upon approach. As a result, the two institutions will improve their ability to work closely with international bodies and provide technical support to countries in need, particularly in the areas of evaluation of needs for surveillance programs and the implementation of action plans.

U.S. National Institutes of Health

The Institut Pasteur and the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, agreed on October 31, 2008, to foster collaborative research among their laboratories. The primary aim of the agreement is the sharing of knowledge and expertise by way of faculty exchanges between the two institutions. The overall objective is the understanding, detection, prevention and treatment of diseases. For more information, please visit the joint Pasteur-NIH program website: http://nihpasteurpartnership.niaid.nih.gov.

Former HHS Deputy Secretary Alex M. Azar and Institut Pasteur President Alice Dautry

In 2006, Former HHS Deputy Secretary Alex M. Azar and Institut Pasteur President Alice Dautry joined forces for pandemic flu preparedness.
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