2005 National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza

Title:  2005 National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza

Date:  November 1, 2005

Author:  George Bush

Institution:  Homeland Security Council

Bibliographic Entry:  George Bush. 2005 National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza. Homeland Security Council, Washington D.C. November 1, 2005.

Electronic Link:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/nspi.pdf

Key Words:  Pandemic; Influenza; National Strategy; Preparedness; Communication; Surveillance; Detection; Response; Containment; Responsibilities; Roles; WHO; FAO; OIE; APEC; Government; Vaccine; Antiviral; Outbreak; Health; Surge; Infrastructure; Private Sector; Citizen; State; Local; Global

Summary of Key Issues, Points, and Conclusions:

The National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza intends to:

• Stop, slow, or otherwise limit the spread of a pandemic to the United States
• Limit the domestic spread of a pandemic, and mitigate disease, suffering and death
• Sustain infrastructure and mitigate impact to the economy and the functioning of society.

The Strategy is guided by the following principles:

• The federal government will use all instruments of national power to address the pandemic threat
• States/communities should have credible pandemic preparedness plans to respond to an outbreak
• Private sector should play an integral role in preparedness before/during/after a pandemic begins
• Citizens should be prepared for flu pandemic, and be educated about individual responsibilities
• Global partnerships will be leveraged to address the pandemic threat.

The pillars of the National Strategy are as follows:

• Preparedness and Communication: Activities that should be undertaken before a pandemic to ensure preparedness, and the communication of roles and responsibilities to all levels of government, segments of society and individuals.
• Surveillance and Detection: Domestic and international systems that provide continuous “situational awareness”, to ensure the earliest warning possible to protect the population.
• Response and Containment: Actions to limit the spread of the outbreak and to mitigate the health, social and economic impacts of a pandemic.

Pillar One: Preparedness and Communication

• Plan for a Pandemic
• Develop federal plans to support this Strategy and to address consequences of a pandemic
• Work with health organizations such as WHO, FAO, OIE and the APEC forum to:
• Support the development and exercising of avian and pandemic response plans
• Expand in-country medical/veterinary/scientific capacity to respond to outbreaks
• Educate people about risky practices that chance interspecies transmission
• Work with states and localities to:
• Establish and exercise pandemic response plans
• Develop medical and veterinary surge capacity plans
• Integrate non-health sectors (private sector and critical infrastructure entities)
• Build way to rapidly recruit/deploy large numbers of health/medical/veterinary providers
• Communicate Expectations and Responsibilities
• Ensure clear/effective/coordinated risk communication before and during a pandemic
• Guide private sector and critical infrastructure on their role in the pandemic response
• Guide people on infection control behaviors they need before/during/after a pandemic
• Guide/support poultry/swine/related industries on role in responding to bird flu outbreaks
• Produce and Stockpile Vaccines, Antivirals and Medical Material
• Encourage nations to develop production capacity and stockpiles to support their needs
• Encourage/subsidize development of state antiviral stockpiles to support flu response
• Ensure that stockpiles are configured to respond to all aspects of a pandemic
• Establish domestic production capacity and stockpiles of countermeasures to ensure:
• Sufficient vaccine for front-line and military personnel, and at-risk populations
• Sufficient vaccine for the entire U.S. population within six months of outbreak
• Antiviral treatment for those who contract a pandemic strain of influenza
• Facilitate appropriate coordination of efforts across the vaccine manufacturing sector
• Address regulatory/legal barriers to expansion of domestic vaccine production capacity
• Expand the public health recommendations for domestic seasonal influenza vaccination
• Expand domestic supply of avian flu vaccine to control an outbreak in bird populations
• Establish Distribution Plans for Vaccines and Antivirals
• Develop credible countermeasure distribution mechanisms for vaccine/antiviral agents
• Prioritize countermeasure allocation before and after an outbreak
• Advance Scientific Knowledge and Accelerate Development
• Ensure sharing of info about flu between governments/scientific entities/private sector
• Work to ensure advanced technological approaches to vaccine production
• Accelerate cell culture technology for flu vaccine production
• Use investment strategies to advance creation of new flu diagnostics/countermeasures

Pillar Two: Surveillance and Detection

• Ensure Rapid Reporting of Outbreaks
• Ensure transparency, scientific cooperation and rapid reporting of avian/human flu cases
• Develop scientific/epidemiologic expertise to ensure early recognition of pattern changes
• Develop/sustain sufficient laboratory capacity/diagnostic reagents in affected regions
• Advance mechanisms for “real-time” clinical surveillance in domestic acute care settings
• Develop/deploy rapid diagnostics to allow onsite diagnosis of pandemic strains of flu
• Expand domestic livestock and wildlife surveillance activities
• Using Surveillance to Limit Spread
• Share info on travelers who may be carrying/exposed to a pandemic strain of influenza
• Develop/exercise mechanisms to provide active/passive surveillance during an outbreak
• Expand/enhance mechanisms for screening/monitoring animals that may harbor viruses
• Screen/monitor/agree to control travel/shipping of potentially infected products

Pillar Three: Response and Containment

• Containing Outbreaks
• Develop a coalition to limit the spread of a virus with pandemic potential
• Offer/coordinate assistance from the United States and other members of Partnership
• Encourage governments to take action to contain an outbreak within borders
• Limit non-essential movement of people/goods/services in flu-affected areas
• Guide government on the range of options for infection-control and containment
• Emphasize roles/responsibilities of the individual in preventing the spread of an outbreak
• Guide states/localities/industry on best practices to prevent spread of flu within birds
• Leveraging National Medical and Public Health Surge Capacity
• Implement state/local/national public health and medical surge plans
• Distribute medical countermeasures from the Strategic National Stockpile to authorities
• Address barriers to the flow of public health, medical and veterinary personnel
• Determine public health/medical/veterinary surge capacity that the military can support
• Sustaining Infrastructure, Essential Services and the Economy
• Develop coordination mechanisms to support the above activities during a pandemic
• Guide activation of contingency plans to ensure personnel are protected, delivery of essential goods and services is maintained, and sectors remain functional
• Determine infrastructure-sustainment activities that the military can support
• Ensuring Effective Risk Communication
• Ensure timely/clear/coordinated messages are delivered to public from trained speakers
• Develop guidelines to assure the public of the safety of the food supply

Roles and Responsibilities

• The Federal Government
• Advance international preparedness, surveillance, response and containment activities
• Support the establishment of countermeasure stockpiles and production capacity by:
• Develop production capacity for vaccine/antiviral/diagnostic/protective gear
• Advance science to produce effective vaccines/therapeutics/diagnostics
• Stockpile and coordinate the distribution of necessary countermeasures
• Ensure that departments/agencies have developed/exercised preparedness/response plans
• Facilitate state and local planning through funding and guidance
• Guide the private sector and public on preparedness and response planning
• States and Localities
• Ensure that measures are taken to limit the spread of an outbreak within/beyond borders
• Establish/exercise comprehensive/credible preparedness/response plans
• Integrate non-health entities in the planning for a pandemic
• Establish state and community-based stockpiles and distribution systems
• Identify key spokespersons for the community
• Provide public education campaigns on pandemic flu and public and private interventions
• The Private Sector and Critical Infrastructure Entities
• Establish an ethic of infection control in the workplace
• Establish contingency system to maintain delivery of essential goods and services
• Establish mechanisms to allow workers to provide services from home, if necessary
• Establish partnerships to provide mutual support and maintenance of essential services
• Individuals and Families
• Take precautions to prevent the spread of infection to others
• Be prepared to follow public health guidance
• Keep supplies at home to support essential needs of the household for several days
• International Partners
• International cooperation to protect the lives and health of our people
• Timely and sustained high-level global political leadership to combat avian/pandemic flu
• Report flu cases in humans/animals caused by virus strains that have pandemic potential
• Immediate sharing of epidemiological data and samples with WHO
• Rapid reaction to first signs of accelerated spread of H5N1/other pathogenic flu strains
• Prevent/contain epidemics through capacity building/collaboration with global partners
• Work to expand cooperation with and support key multilateral organizations
• Coordinate bilateral/multilateral resource allocations; dedicate domestic resources; improve public awareness; and develop economic and trade contingency plans
• Coordination/harmonize preparedness/prevention/response/containment among nations
• Base actions on the best available science
  

Name of Researcher:  Josh Calcote

Institution:  Integrative Center for Homeland Security

Date:  11/02/05