U.S. Not Ready for Flu Season
The Government Accounting Office (GAO) concludes in a July 29 report that the country has much more work to do to prepare for flu season. Several high-priority areas that need immediate attention include:
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clarification, testing and exercising of leadership roles/responsibilities for influenza pandemics, and better utilization of existing mechanisms to improve coordination between federal, state and local governments and the private sector;
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more complete information to assist countries at the greatest risk;
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federal planning to maintain essential operations/services and protect employees during a pandemic;
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the need for additional capacity in patient treatment spaces, and better procedures for acquisition/distribution of medical and other critical supplies (e.g., antivirals and vaccines);
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increased distribution of information on school closures, state border closures and other topics by federal agencies to state/local governments; and
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greater agency accountability to protect federal workers, as no mechanism exists to monitor agencies' progress in developing workforce pandemic plans.
The report points out that federal agencies have taken action on 13 of 24 GAO recommendations over the past three years, but haven’t fully implemented 11 other recommendations. Since the H1N1 virus could become more virulent this fall or winter, it recommends administration officials and federal agencies use this time to address preparedness gaps.
The GAO adds, somewhat ominously, “The current H1N1 pandemic should serve as a powerful reminder that the threat of a pandemic influenza, which seemed to fade from public awareness in recent years, never really disappeared.”