tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
The H1N1 pandemic of 2009-10 may be fading from memory for most. But for the public health community, swine flu provided a critical case study in how well-prepared we are for a widespread outbreak of novel communicable disease. The pandemic also offers important lessons on the persistence of health disparities and on the importance of public trust in public health emergencies.
So with flu season upon us, it seems a fitting time to review a June 2011 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office summarizing what worked and what didn?t with the federal government?s $4.1 billion H1N1 response effort.
Key findings:
While the pandemic didn?t unfold as planners had imagined, advance efforts paid off because they established relationships between different sectors of government;
Government credibility was compromised when vaccine availability didn?t live up to what was promised;
Information about H1N1 risk was communicated effectively to most people, but not to those who spoke little or no English;
The Strategic National Stockpile?the government?s stash of medicine and medical supplies for a national emergency?operated as planned, but gaps in distribution and long-term storage plans were identified.
...
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...1-Flu-Pandemic-What-Went-Right-and-Wrong.html
So with flu season upon us, it seems a fitting time to review a June 2011 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office summarizing what worked and what didn?t with the federal government?s $4.1 billion H1N1 response effort.
Key findings:
While the pandemic didn?t unfold as planners had imagined, advance efforts paid off because they established relationships between different sectors of government;
Government credibility was compromised when vaccine availability didn?t live up to what was promised;
Information about H1N1 risk was communicated effectively to most people, but not to those who spoke little or no English;
The Strategic National Stockpile?the government?s stash of medicine and medical supplies for a national emergency?operated as planned, but gaps in distribution and long-term storage plans were identified.
...
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...1-Flu-Pandemic-What-Went-Right-and-Wrong.html