Co‐benefits and ‘no regrets’ benefits of influenza pandemic planning

To the editor: The emergence of the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic strain in 2009 and its subsequent spread has stimulated national and international interest in pandemic influenza control. It is likely to also be stimulating further revisions of pandemic plans around the world, especially given the possibility of on-going waves. Such pandemic planning can involve sunk costs that might never be realised e.g., antiviral and vaccine stockpiles. However, there are many other potential collateral benefits from pandemic planning and preparations that can be realised regardless of a future pandemic occurring. We briefly describe some of these in this letter.