WASHINGTON — The U.S. Homeland Security Council has published its response plans to what many believe to be an inevitable pandemic resulting from a domestic outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H.P.A.I.) in the United States. Released yesterday, the “Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza,” addresses planning across all levels of government to deal with an outbreak. The plans includes 324 actions to be carried out by federal officials within a specified timeline.
According to a statement on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s web site, “The plan ensures that the federal government, along with our state and local partners, continues to take appropriate steps in preparation for H.P.A.I. and a possible human influenza pandemic in the country.”
The plan directs the U.S.D.A. to orchestrate 98 actions addressing the threat of A.I. in the United States, including efforts to slow the spread of the disease overseas, enhancing domestic safeguards as well as ensuring a rapid response plan is in place to deal with an outbreak at local and national levels.
Safeguards include trade restrictions, wild bird monitoring, federal-state-industry testing of poultry, federal inspection programs at slaughter and processing plants and detailed rapid response plans.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/pandemicflu/ Report Broken Link
http://nabc.ksu.edu/assets/uploads/National Strategy for Pandemic Flu Bush Plan 5-06.pdf Report Broken Link
Posted by: Adassa Roe
Posted Date: May 10 2006