History of the Watchboard

One year after the release of the National Plan, we have an opportunity to review the tremendous progress that has been made, redirect our efforts as necessary, and focus on the highest priority gaps in our capabilities that remain. Approximately two-thirds of the 324 actions in the National Plan were targeted for completion within one year of the National Plan's release. Of these "one year" actions, nearly 90 percent have been completed. While the completion of these actions attests to the level of effort dedicated to pandemic preparedness, it is important to examine how much progress we have made in addressing the three goals of our National Strategy.

It is everyone's responsibility to remain vigilant. Though we cannot be certain that highly pathogenic avian influenza A H5N1 will spark a pandemic, we can be sure that at some point in the future a pandemic will occur. We cannot become complacent and must continue to take the threat of a pandemic very seriously. The ongoing efforts to plan and prepare for a pandemic will serve us well in the future, irrespective of the manner in which the current H5N1 outbreak unfolds.

The National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, issued by President Bush November 1, 2005, guides our nation's preparedness and response to an influenza pandemic, with the intent of (1) stopping, slowing, or otherwise limiting the spread of a pandemic to the United States; (2) limiting the domestic spread of a pandemic and mitigating disease, suffering, and death; and(3) sustaining the infrastructure and mitigating the impact to the economy and society. The Department of Health and Human Services is tasked with leading the federal medical response to a pandemic, while the Department of Homeland Security will provide overall response coordination.

The Implementation Plan for the National Strategy, released by the President on May 3, 2006, translates the Strategy into more than 300 actions for federal departments and agencies and sets clear expectations for state and local governments and other non-federal entities. It also provides guidance for all federal departments and agencies on developing their own plans.

The Department of Defense (DoD)'s global capabilities and presence provide a highly effective ability to support U.S. planning and response to an influenza pandemic. As the federal department with the great amount of resources, the DoD will prepare for and be ready to respond to pandemic influenza as necessary, including providing support and assistance as required by other agencies.

In an influenza pandemic, the DoD's mission is to preserve U.S. combat capabilities and readiness and to support U.S. government efforts to save lives, reduce human suffering, and slow the spread of infection.

The military health system must be prepared to provide the highest possible level of health support and preserve the operational effectiveness of our military forces, contractors, dependents, and beneficiaries across the globe in the face of a pandemic. To meet this responsibility it will take all of us within military medicine working with our line counterparts, our commands, and our local civilian communities.

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