HHS Declares Public Health Emergency for Swine Flu
Date: April 26, 2009
For Release Immediately
Contact: HHS Press Office
202-690-6343
HHS Declares Public Health Emergency for Swine Flu
The Department of Health and Human Services today issued a nationwide
public health emergency declaration in response to recent human infections
with a newly discovered swine influenza A (swine flu) virus.
The formal declaration of a Public Health Emergency (PHE) is a tool that facilitates HHS’ preparation and mobilization for disasters and emergencies. For example, PHEs were recently declared for flooding in North Dakota, the Inauguration, and several 2008 hurricanes.
Today’s declaration, made under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, will help HHS prepare for prevention and mitigation activities by enabling Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorizations of drugs, devices, or medical tests under certain circumstances.
Specifically, today's PHE will enable the FDA to review and issue emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for the use of certain laboratory tests to help detect the newly discovered strain of influenza and for the emergency use of certain antivirals.
"HHS is taking these steps today to be proactive in responding to this new
influenza virus by offering national tools in support of community-led
preparedness and response efforts," Acting HHS Secretary Charles Johnson
said. "The declaration allows us the flexibility, while we learn more
about the virus and its impact in the United States, to take additional
steps to fully mobilize our prevention, treatment and mitigation
capabilities should those actions become necessary."
In addition to the declaration, HHS leaders are working together across
operating divisions to coordinate response to the swine flu outbreak. For
example, the FDA, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention are working together to develop a vaccine
precursor that could be used to develop a vaccine for this swine flu
virus.
To date, there have been 20 confirmed cases of swine Influenza A (swH1N1) in California, Texas, Kansas, New York, and Ohio. No deaths in the U.S. have been reported due to the illness. Additional cases of the virus have been confirmed in Mexico and Canada.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that
regularly causes outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Swine flu viruses do
not normally infect humans; however, human infections with swine flu do
occur, and cases of human-to-human spread of swine flu viruses have been
documented.
The public health emergency declaration is available at http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/phe_swh1n1.html.
For information on swine flu, visit http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu.