Thank you for that.
Overall, I think Canada's experience of the first wave of H1N1 highlighted that while we may have had strong pandemic plans in place, we can always continue to improve our ability to apply those plans in real time and look at gaps that may exist. The challenge has been in implementing the plan as we learn about H1N1. We didn't know anything about H1N1 until April, so as we learned about the virus, we needed to respond accordingly with the provinces and territories, and to communicate that in real time with provinces and territories to respond, and we will continue to do that. I think we've learned over the first few months that, come fall, that will be essential to how we respond. We don't know the kind of severity of cases we will be seeing, and so on, so that will require us to be vigilant and continue along that path.
With the other jurisdictions, other countries, involved, we recognize that it's an issue that sees no boundaries and we need to respond accordingly as provinces and territories. Cooperation is key, communication is essential. We've also learned that we need to work very closely with Mexico, with the United States, and the WHO, in how we plan. It's not only a plan within Canada. Public health officials have been working very hard, and I've had meetings with the United States as well as the Mexican health ministries, simply in terms of how we will plan for the fall and how we can better position ourselves.
This is ongoing work that we need to do, the assessments and evaluations in terms of how we're responding. We're learning from other countries in terms of their vaccine development, and that will help us make the best decision in real time about who requires the H1N1 vaccine, when, and so on. The information and the time we have over this summer are essential in getting the necessary and the best information, based on real cases and situations that we face in our country, to prepare for the fall.
We have to enhance our surveillance systems come fall. That communication strategy will become essential, and again, that involves provinces and territories. There are many stakeholders involved, such as the municipalities, and it takes a lot of coordination; there are many agencies involved to prepare. It's not one agency's responsibility. We as individuals have a role as well, to communicate with our families and friends and so on, but in order to allow Canadians to make the best decisions with the best information we have at the time, it is going to be essential for them to make informed decisions on how they can prevent the spread of H1N1 and so on.
I don't know if that answers the question. You may want to elaborate a bit more.