Department Response to H1N1 (Swine) Flu

Tuesday Briefing

Briefing archive

Current Conditions

Department of Homeland Security

• There are no border restrictions in effect. U.S. Customs and Border Protection continues to monitor the health status of incoming visitors at our land, sea and air ports watching out for illness as part of their standard operating procedure. 
• The Department will be conducting press briefings on the H1N1 (Swine) Flu as needed.

Medical

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a What's New page that includes the latest updates. You can sign up for e-mail updates, subscribe to an RSS feed or follow on Twitter for updates when conditions change.
• Background on Swine Flu
• Good Health Habits Can Help Stop Germs
• International Health Issues

Veterinary

• Visit United States Department of Agriculture for updates on veterinary / food safety issues

International

• Visit Department of State for international / consular affairs information.

Schools

• Visit Department of Education for information about disseminating health information, planning for staff and student absences and school closures, and maintaining a learning environment.

Background

The federal government has been working to prepare for a possible pandemic for years. The National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza (PDF, 17 pages - 570 KB) outlines roles and responsibility and identifies lead deparments for:

• Medical response - Department of Health and Human Services
• Veterinary response - Department of Agriculture
• International activities - Department of State
• Overall domestic incident management and federal coordination - Department of Homeland Security

Each department is responsible for coordination of all efforts within its authorized mission, and departments are responsible for developing plans to implement this strategy.