| ■ U.S. Falling Short on Flu Pandemic Preparedness | 2007.09.14 |
| A lack of training and testing by federal agencies is hampering the United States' ability to prepare for a potential influenza pandemic, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Monday. The GAO noted that a number of federal agencies have overlapping responsibilities that aren't clearly defined, the Associated Press reported. Since the Bush administration's bird flu plan was released in May 2006, there have been no national pandemic exercises involving the multiple federal agencies that would respond to such a crisis. These types of exercises would demonstrate which agencies understand their responsibilities, the GAO said. It's alarming that key federal leadership roles haven't been adequately defined or tested, said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He was one of the lawmakers who requested the GAO report, the AP reported. "It is vital to resolve questions of turf, responsibility, and performance in advance, rather than in the heat of an actual pandemic," Waxman said. The secretaries of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services need to conduct thorough response exercises for pandemic influenza, the GAO recommended. |