Posted: April 30, 2009:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
PRIVATE SECTOR OFFICE - SWINE FLU UPDATE #1
APRIL 27, 2009 - 6:15PM

JUST IN

Statement by WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan - April 27, 2009

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_20090427/en/index.html

ABOUT SWINE FLU:

Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been identified in the United States. Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection also have been identified internationally. The current U.S. case count is provided at www.cdc.gov

An investigation and response effort surrounding the outbreak of swine flu is ongoing.

CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) have been identified, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization. This includes deploying staff domestically and internationally to provide guidance and technical support.

• CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the agency's response to this emerging health threat and yesterday the Secretary of the Department Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, declared a public health emergency in the United States. This will allow funds to be released to support the public health response. CDC's goals during this public health emergency are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to assist health care providers, public health officials and the public in addressing the challenges posed by this newly identified influenza virus. To this end, CDC has issued a number of interim guidance documents in the past 24 hours. In addition, CDC's Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is releasing one-quarter of its antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to help states respond to the outbreak. Laboratory testing has found the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available.

FEDERAL INTERAGENCY UPDATES:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

• (4/27/09) Press briefing on Swine Influenza with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and White House: http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1240773850207.shtm

Post the Swine Flu Web Widget

• Help us get the message out to the public, post the Swine Flu Web Widget to your web site: http://www.hhs.gov/

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

• Main CDC Swine Flu Page: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
• Key Facts on Swine Flu: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm
• CDC Caretaking Guidance: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidance/
• Travelers Health: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluUS.aspx
• Information for Airline Passengers Exposed to Swine Flu: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluPassengers.aspx
• Good Health Habits Guidance: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm
• Swine Flu and You: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: PandemicFlu.gov

• (4/26/09)
  HHS Declares Public Health Emergency for Swine Flu:
  http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/04/20090426a.html
  
  
• Guidance for individuals and families preparing for pandemic:
  http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/individual/index.html
  
  
• Planning information for community organizations:
  http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/community/index.html

U.S. Department of Agriculture

• (4/27/09) Update By Secretary Of Agriculture Vilsack Regarding USDA Outreach Efforts Regarding Swine Influenza A (H1N1) http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/04/0132.xml
• Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.opm.gov/

U.S. Department of Labor/Office of Safety and Health Administration

• Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic: http://www.osha.gov/Publications/influenza_pandemic.html
• Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Guidance for Healthcare Workers and Healthcare Employers: www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA_pandemic_health.pdf
• Proposed Guidance on Stockpiling of Respirators and Facemasks in Occupational Settings: http://www.osha.gov/dsg/guidance/stockpiling-facemasks-respirators.html

TRAVELERS GUIDANCE

• Travelers Health: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluUS.aspx

PREVENTION GUIDANCE

It is prudent for businesses to act in the absence of sufficient data to protect their employees and take advantage of a narrow window of opportunity for intervention. Persons with febrile respiratory illness should stay home from work or school to avoid spreading infections (including influenza and other respiratory illnesses) to others in their communities. In addition, frequent hand washing can lessen the spread of respiratory illness. As public health officials in the United States learn more about this virus, updated guidance will be issued to the public in conjunction with our state, local, tribal and territorial partners.

• Identify your city, county or state public health department's website for the most accurate information on what is taking place in your local area. These sites contain information on the current conditions in your area, what services are available as well as what services may be curtailed or suspended for the duration of an outbreak of influenza.
• Identify your Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) and employee readiness to successfully navigate a difficult period. Consulting a website like www.ready.gov on how employees should have enough food, water, medications, and other necessities to weather any breakdown in the supply chain that could prevent employees from reporting to their place of employment.

• Identify policies and procedures to protect and sustain workers
  • Emphasize worker and workplace disease control and protection
  • Encourage employees to take actions to stay healthy. Such as covering the nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Promote often hand washing with soap and water. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. Avoid touching the eyes, nose or mouth
  • If an employee is sick, CDC recommends that the individual stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them

• Identify and assess all essential services, functions, and processes necessary to keep systems running
• Identify the types and numbers of workers critical to sustain essential functions
  • Define roles and responsibilities of employees, labor organizations, staff, supervisors, managers, and staff medical personnel
  • Assess impacts from short-term and extended absences by essential workers
  • Access, practice, and test remote connectivity and accessibility options for workers to ensure services remain operational

• Review all equipment critical to support each essential function
• Review primary and supporting components of critical equipment to identify potential critical system failures and possible cascading consequence

• Prepare to sustain essential equipment, materials, and supplies for a nationwide wave lasting up to 12 weeks
  • Assess implications if your essential equipment fails early on during the influenza outbreak

• Determine the most effective ways to ensure adequate supply of essential materials
  • Identify physical or safety limitations in stocking sufficient critical supplies locally
  • Assess recurring and preventative maintenance requirement

• Identify Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements that may affect business operations
  • Consider how each action relates to those emergency response actions in existing business contingency and emergency response plan

• Identify effects from mitigation strategies; take actions to reduce negative impacts
  • Discuss strategies' potential impacts with workers, as well as your strategies management will take to communicate with employees, before, during, and after an outbreak
  • Discuss the potential impacts of these strategies with workers, their families, and with customers, supporting businesses and other stakeholders
  • Collaborate with public/private partners such as state and local health authorities and first responders who support and rely on you

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Private Sector Office
Contact: private.sector@dhs.gov
(202) 282-8484

Office of Health Affairs (DHS)
Contact: Healthaffairs@dhs.gov
(202) 254-2249

SHRM News: