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HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan

 

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Visit PandemicFlu.gov for one-stop access to U.S. Government avian and pandemic flu information. HHS is responsible for Pandemic Influenza Planning, outlined below.

PandemicFlu.gov

Statement by Secretary Leavitt
Preface
Executive Summary


Statement by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt:

One of the most important public health issues our Nation and the world faces is the threat of a global disease outbreak called a pandemic. No one in the world today is fully prepared for a pandemic -- but we are better prepared today than we were yesterday - and we will be better prepared tomorrow than we are today.

This HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan provides a blueprint from which to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead of us. Being prepared and responding effectively involves everyone: individuals, communities, businesses, States, Federal agencies, international countries and organizations. Here at home, we can use this Plan to create a seamless preparedness network where we are all working together for the benefit of the American people.

In the century past, we have experienced influenza pandemics three times: as recently as 1968 and 1957 and what has been called the Great Influenza in 1918, a pandemic that killed 40-50 million people worldwide. At some point in our nation's future another virus will emerge with the potential to create a global disease outbreak. History teaches us that everything we do today to prepare for that eventuality will have many lasting benefits for the future. We will realize important advances in healthcare, and we will be better prepared for other types of emergencies.

I am humbled by the enormity of the challenge that the global community confronts should there be a pandemic. Public cooperation and global partnerships will be essential tools in fighting back and creating a constant state of readiness. If together we take the steps necessary, we will be able to save the lives of millions of people in our country and all around the world.

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Preface

Adequate planning for a pandemic requires the involvement of every level of our nation, and indeed, the world. The ubiquitous nature of an influenza pandemic compels federal, state and local governments, communities, corporations, families and individuals to learn about, prepare for, and collaborate in efforts to slow, respond to, mitigate, and recover from a potential pandemic. The development, refinement, and exercise of pandemic influenza plans by all stakeholders are critical components of preparedness.

This document, the HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan, serves as a blueprint for all HHS pandemic influenza preparedness planning and response activities. This plan updates the August 2004 draft HHS Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan and features important additions and refinements. The Plan integrates changes made in the 2005 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of pandemic phases and expansion of international guidance and now is consistent with the National Response Plan (NRP) published in December 2004.

The HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan has three parts, the first two of which are contained in this document. Part 1, the Strategic Plan outlines federal plans and preparation for public health and medical support in the event of a pandemic. It identifies key roles of HHS and its agencies in a pandemic and provides planning assumptions for federal, state and local governments and public health operations plans. Part 2, Public Health Guidance for State and Local Partners, provides detailed guidance to state and local health departments in 11 key areas. Parts 1 and 2 will be regularly updated and refined. These documents will serve as tools for continued engagement with stakeholders, state and local partners.

Part 3, which is currently under development, will consist of HHS Agencies’ Operational Plans. Each HHS component will prepare, maintain, update and exercise an operational plan that itemizes their specific roles and responsibilities in the event of a pandemic. These individual plans will also include detailed continuity of operations plans such as strategies for ensuring that critical everyday functions of each operating division are identified and maintained in the presence of the expected decreased staffing levels of a pandemic event. In addition to operations, these plans will elaborate on coordination, command and control, logistics, and planning, as well as financial and administration considerations.

Recognizing that an influenza pandemic has the capacity to cause disruptions across all levels of governments and in all communities, pandemic influenza preparedness is a shared responsibility. The following list includes some of the additional plans that will be required to mitigate the impact of a pandemic and to ensure continuity of essential services:

Every nation should develop comprehensive strategies and contingency plans for a global pandemic. These plans should be coordinated regionally and at the global level. The opportunity to contain an initial outbreak can only be realized in the presence of a sophisticated global strategy.

The National Strategy provides a framework for future U.S. Government planning efforts. It acknowledges that the Nation must have a system of plans at all levels of government and in all sectors outside of government, that can be integrated to address the pandemic threat.

These plans should detail how health departments and other agencies of state and local governments and tribal nations will prevent, mitigate, respond and recover from an influenza pandemic. They should be community specific where appropriate and should contemplate specific local and community needs.

School systems, hospitals, healthcare providers, community infrastructure providers and employers should develop plans that identify how they will respond in the event of an influenza pandemic.

All plans should remain living documents. They should be updated periodically in the time before, during, and after a pandemic. All plans should be exercised to identify weaknesses and promote effective implementation. Pandemic influenza response can be optimized by effectively engaging stakeholders during all phases of pandemic planning and response.

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Executive Summary

An influenza pandemic has the potential to cause more death and illness than any other public health threat. If a pandemic influenza virus with similar virulence to the 1918 strain emerged today, in the absence of intervention, it is estimated that 1.9 million Americans could die and almost 10 million could be hospitalized over the course of the pandemic, which may evolve over a year or more. Although the timing, nature and severity of the next pandemic cannot be predicted with any certainty, preparedness planning is imperative to lessen the impact of a pandemic. The unique characteristics and events of a pandemic will strain local, state, and federal resources. It is unlikely that there will be sufficient personnel, equipment, and supplies to respond adequately to multiple areas of the country for a sustained period of time. Therefore, minimizing social and economic disruption will require a coordinated response. Governments, communities, and other public and private sector stakeholders will need to anticipate and prepare for a pandemic by defining roles and responsibilities and developing continuity of operations plans.

This document, the HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan, serves as a blueprint for all HHS pandemic influenza preparedness and response planning. Part 1, the Strategic Plan, describes a coordinated public health and medical care strategy to prepare for, and begin responding to, an influenza pandemic. Part 2, Public Health Guidance for State and Local Partners provides guidance on specific aspects of pandemic influenza planning and response for the development of state and local preparedness plans.

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