*EPF408 08/26/2004
Text: U.S. Develops Response Strategy for Flu Pandemic
(Effort applies experience gained in battles with SARS, bird flu) (760)
Recognizing the potential threat of an influenza pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) August 26 released a national strategy for responding to such an outbreak.
"Our proposed strategy draws upon the wealth of experience and knowledge we have gained in responding to a number of recent public health threats, including SARS and avian influenza," said HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, in a press release.
Even though U.S. health officials work every year to prepare vaccines for anticipated strains of flu that might occur in a given season, those efforts would have little effect in the event of a pandemic. According to the HHS release, a pandemic occurs when an influenza virus undergoes a major, sudden mutation, rather than more typical gradual change. This increases the pathogen's ability to cause illness in a large percentage of the population.
Development of the new influenza response strategy is also informed by history. The release notes that three influenza pandemics occurred in the 20th century. The worst was the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, when 20 to 40 percent of the global population fell ill, resulting in over 50 million deaths.
The Pandemic Influenza Response and Preparedness Plan can be found online at:
http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/pandemicplan/
Following is the text of the HHS press release:
(begin text)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
August 26, 2004
HHS ISSUES NATIONAL PANDEMIC INFLUENZA PREPAREDNESS PLAN
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today unveiled the department's draft Pandemic Influenza Response and Preparedness Plan, which outlines a coordinated national strategy to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic. The draft plan can be found online at
"This plan will serve as our roadmap on how we as a nation, and as a member of the global health community, respond to the next pandemic influenza outbreak, whenever that may be," Secretary Thompson said. "Our proposed strategy draws upon the wealth of experience and knowledge we have gained in responding to a number of recent public health threats, including SARS and avian influenza."
In particular, the plan provides guidance to national, state, and local policy makers and health departments for public health preparation and response in the event of pandemic influenza outbreak.
Influenza pandemics are explosive global events in which most, if not all, persons worldwide are at risk for infection and illness. While rare, the appearance of such a pandemic virus will likely be unaffected by currently available flu vaccines that are modified each year to match the strains of the virus that are known to be in circulation among humans around the world. Unlike the gradual changes that occur in the influenza viruses that appear each year during "flu season," a pandemic influenza virus is one that represents a major, sudden shift in the virus' structure that increases its ability to cause illness in a large proportion of the population. During previous influenza pandemics large numbers of people were ill, sought medical care, were hospitalized and died.
Three influenza pandemics occurred during the 20th century. The most recent influenza pandemic occurred in 1968 with the Hong Kong Flu outbreak, which resulted in nearly 34,000 deaths in the United States. In 1957, the Asian flu pandemic resulted in about 70,000 deaths. The most deadly influenza pandemic outbreak was the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which caused illness in roughly 20 to 40 percent of the world's population and more than 50 million deaths worldwide. Between September 1918 and April 1919, approximately 675,000 deaths from the Spanish flu occurred in the United States alone.
Planning and implementing preparedness activities are critical to improving the effectiveness of a response and decreasing the impacts of a pandemic. HHS has increased support for pandemic influenza activities and is engaged in several efforts to enhance the nation's preparedness for such an outbreak. HHS supports pandemic influenza activities in five key areas: surveillance, vaccine development and production, antiviral stockpiling, research, and public health preparedness.
This draft plan includes a core section and twelve annexes. The core plan describes coordination and decision making at the national level; provides an overview of key issues; and outlines action steps that should be taken at the national, state, and local levels before and during a pandemic. Annexes provide additional information to health departments and private sector organizations for use in developing local preparedness plans as well as additional technical information to support the core document.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
Return to Public File Main Page
Return to Public Table of Contents