Influenza Pandemic – Monitoring and Assessing the Status of the National Pandemic Implementation Plan Needs Improvement

The current H1N1 pandemic highlights the threat posed to our nation by an influenza pandemic. The previous administration’s Homeland Security Council (HSC) issued the Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza (Plan) in May 2006 to help address a pandemic. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to (1) determine how the HSC and responsible federal agencies monitor the progress and completion of the Plan’s action items; and (2) assess the extent to which selected action items have been completed. To do this, GAO interviewed officials from the HSC and the six federal agencies responsible for implementing most of the Plan, and analyzed a random sample of 60 action items. While this report does not assess the response efforts for the H1N1 pandemic, GAO continues to monitor the outbreak and the federal response.

Author:
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Publish Date:
November - 2009