Claim: Britain's pandemic plan falls short

LONDON, March 31 (UPI) -- Britain's contingency plans for pandemic flu don't go far enough, a director of public health argues in the British Medical Journal.

Plans for pandemic flu in the United Kingdom, said by some to be among the best in the developed world, are missing important lessons from the past, said Hilary Pickles, public health director at Hillingdon Primary Care Trust in West Drayton, England.

Pickles said the government needs to prepare for high death rates and be open with the public and understand human behavior.

David Salisbury, director of immunization at the department of health, argues that preparedness has been strengthened through cross-government working, enhanced communications and international cooperation.