A new report released jointly by The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (GW/SPHHS) and the GW Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) reviews plans, strategies, directives, and guidance documents in place globally and domestically to meet the challenge of a long-anticipated, widespread influenza outbreak.
The World Health Organization declared the event a “public health emergency of international concern,” the first time that designation has been used under International Health Regulations. Those regulations require ongoing, two-way communication with affected nations about the patterns of the disease and health measures in place to curb it. WHO is also guided by its Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Guidance Document.
In the United States, where a public health emergency has been declared, the federal government has released 25 percent of the antiviral medication from its Strategic National Stockpile. It also has the legal authority to attempt to limit the spread of a pandemic with border controls, quarantines, and the closing of certain public transportation systems.
The extensive national and international planning of the past few years provides some reassurance that a well-coordinated response will be possible. However, the U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded in February 2009 that some preparedness gaps remain. And unified action at the global level will be complicated by resource shortfalls and concern about national sovereignty.
Moreover, frameworks erected in advance of an emergency will need to be modified in the face of clear and present dangers. The hope now is that the right mechanisms have been put in place to guide an appropriate response, and that necessary adjustments will be made as the facts unfold on the ground.
A summary as well as a copy of the report is attached to this email. The report is also available on the HSPI Pandemic Influenza page (http://www.gwumc.edu/
