WASHINGTON, DC - Following a letter from Energy and Commerce Committee leaders, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its Pandemic Influenza Plan on Friday. The plan was scheduled to be released in late 2016. The April letter requesting information about the status of the plan was signed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA).
HHS’ Pandemic Influenza Plan identified seven areas of focus for 2017-2027:
* Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Activities
* Community Mitigation Measures
* Medical Countermeasures: Diagnostic Devices, Vaccines, Therapeutics, and Respiratory Devices
* Health Care System Preparedness and Response Activities
* Communications and Public Outreach
* Scientific Infrastructure and Preparedness
* Domestic and International Response Policy, Incident Management, and Global Partnerships and Capacity Building
The plan recognizes that while the update primarily addresses pandemic influenza, “the continually changing nature of influenza viruses that can lead to mismatches between vaccine strains and circulating viruses, as seen during the 2014-2015 influenza season, remind us that pandemic and seasonal influenza planning and improvement are interdependent."
The seasonal flu vaccine mismatch was a subject of two #SubOversight hearings in 2015 (February 2015 and November 2015 ), and this update is an acknowledgement of the committee’s findings at those hearings that we must elevate seasonal flu preparedness with pandemic flu preparedness.
Chairmen Walden and Murphy commented on the release of the plan, citing additional threats abroad, saying, “The H7N9 avian flu virus that first appeared in China has grown, causing concern for a possible pandemic. Paired with a recent GAO report that said USDA needs to take additional action to reduce the risks of an avian flu outbreak, this plan is long overdue and essential in assessing our preparedness efforts."
