APHA Welcomes National Strategy for Pandemic Flu

Washington, D.C., November 1, 2005 – “The American Public Health Association welcomes today’s release of a national strategy for pandemic influenza. We live in an era during which new and re-emerging diseases, such as the H5N1 avian flu virus, could possibly threaten the health and lives of millions of Americans and tens of millions around the world. We must take the proper precautions to prevent the spread of infectious disease. This plan is an important step in building our capacity to identify and respond to such a potential widespread public health emergency. We thank the administration for providing leadership on this important issue.

“The plan will only work, however, with the necessary resources to support it, by aligning the federal plan with state and local plans already drawn up and by testing the plans at all levels. We look forward to tomorrow’s release of the pandemic flu plan by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will contain the details and from which we can better gauge the implications of the plan for public health.”

“With regard to funding, we urge the House of Representatives to follow the Senate’s lead in providing the resources necessary to respond to pandemic flu.

“Moreover, we hope that the administration and Congress will continue to invest in the public health infrastructure to protect Americans from influenza and other health threats. The pandemic plan may be used in drafting other preparedness checklists for infectious diseases and other potential emergencies.

“We also remind the public to prepare for the immediate health threat of the annual flu season. All Americans should get vaccinated this fall to reduce the chance of getting the flu, which causes about 36,000 deaths a year. The seasonal flu vaccine will not protect Americans from the potentially fatal avian influenza, the H5N1 virus strain, but it is the single best way to prevent the flu. We must prepare for this potentially fatal disease on all fronts.”