Citizens for Global Solutions

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT | Pandemic Implementation Plan

WHITE HOUSE RELEASES PANDEMIC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Earlier this month, the White House released the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza. This plan outlines the respective roles of the federal, state and local government agencies, as well as private organizations, in the event of an avian flu pandemic. A pandemic occurs when a new disease is prevalent and easily transmissible through humans. Currently, no pandemic flu exists. However, the bird flu virus, H5N1, has the potential to become a pandemic due to this strain's ability to rapidly mutate. The Implementation Plan details the steps that the U.S. has taken so far, including stockpiling vaccines and antiviral drugs to mitigate the effects of a possible bird flu outbreak. Overall, the plan recognizes that global prevention, coupled with thorough local preparation, is a critical step to thwarting a possible pandemic.

According to the report, the federal government aims to:

Stop, slow or otherwise limit the spread of a pandemic to the United States
Limit the domestic spread of a pandemic and mitigate disease, suffering and death
Sustain infrastructure and mitigate impact to the economy and the functioning of society.

Due to the enormous burden of managing a nationwide pandemic that could occur concurrently in various places, “the federal government’s support to any particular state or community will be limited in comparison to federal aid given for natural disasters.” The plan emphasizes the role of private institutions to manage infection control. For example, businesses should control the spread of infection by enforcing the use of facemasks and using teleconferencing technology.

Nevertheless, the report states that the federal government will bear primary responsibility for procuring and distributing vaccines and antiviral drugs, accelerating research and development of new drugs, supporting international containment efforts, providing general guidance on protective measures, and modifying laws to facilitate the response to a national pandemic. The White House estimates that at the height of a possible pandemic, anywhere from 200,000 to 2 million Americans, including about 40% of the work force, would be affected.

U.S. commitment to supporting international efforts is indispensable to preventing bird flu from reaching American shores. In September 2005, President Bush announced the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, which aims to bring countries and organizations together to share information and prioritize actions to combat pandemic and avian flu. The implementation plan reinforces the federal government’s pledge to fully collaborate with international partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO). International organizations, including the WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), pool the world community’s resources and information to prevent and contain a possible pandemic.

The combined efforts of international organizations help maintain thorough global preparedness, surveillance, communication, and response. Global health issues like bird flu know no borders, and as a global community, we are only as strong as our weakest link. In order to prevent a global pandemic, the federal government must ensure that the U.S. engages and supports these international organizations. The implementation plan outlines the roles federal government agencies have to play:

State Department: manages international efforts and diplomatic engagement and offers consular services for Americans traveling or living abroad
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID): coordinates international disaster response and currently supports avian influenza activities in 46 countries
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): protects health of Americans in coordination with WHO and collaborates with USAID on providing communications information about pandemic influenza
Department of Agriculture (USDA): analyzes animal health research and coordinates veterinary and agricultural assistance to other countries

Dr. David Nabarro, Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, lauded the plan as one of the more sophisticated national plans he has come across for combating a possible bird flu pandemic.

+ READ THE FULL REPORT [PDF FORMAT]

Updated May 31, 2006

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