Region 4 Pandemic Influenza Plan Update

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Region 4 Pandemic Influenza PlanUpdate
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Spanish Influenza (1918-1919)

• Overview
• Most deadly pandemic in history 50 to 100
  million deaths
• Virtually every person on earth exposed to it
  half got sick
• Almost no immunity with unusually high death
  rates
• Believed to originate in birds in 1917 and early
  1918

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Avian Influenza

• Current Threat
• Since 1997, outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu have
  alarmed experts. Why?
• In 1997 the genetic blueprint of the Spanish
  Influenza virus was (finally) mapped. H5N1
  viruses are very similar to that of the Spanish
  Influenza virus
• Primary victims (so far) have been chickens more
  than 100 million of them have been killed either
  by the flu, or by futile efforts to contain it

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The Big Concern

• Common in birds and chickens
• Recently found in other animals
• Humans infected through exposure to infected
  animals
• Very high mortality rate, thus far
• Pandemic possibility if human to human transfer
• No known vaccine6 months to develop

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U.S. Poultry Production
No. poultry farms 235K
No. of birds gt9.1B 8.5B broilers (meat)
0.3B layers 0.3B turkeys
Value of US poultry 29B 20B broilers
5B eggs 4B turkeys
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Background - - Presidents Strategy

• National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza
• Announced by President Bush on November 1, 2005
  as part of a 7.1 B FY 06 supplemental request
• Strategy based on assumption that pandemic is
  likely to come in waves, each lasting for months
  and will remove essential personnel for weeks or
  months
• National Strategy sets broad framework, high
  level principles
• National Strategy supplemented by more specific
  Implementation Plan for National Strategy

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Pandemic Planning

• National Approach
• (All Departments Agencies)
• Protect the Health of Employees
• Maintain Essential Functions and Services
• Support the Federal Response
• Communicate to Stakeholders

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Region 4 Activities

• Cross-Divisional Regional Pandemic Team
• Critical activities identified for planning
  purposes
• Activities prioritized and assigned Division
  Leads
• Currently developing operational plans based on
  five (5) Essential Functions
• Plans will identify 3 deep staff where possible
  for critical activities

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Regional Essential Functions

• Protect regional workforce
• Provide basic management support functions to the
  EPA workforce, while supporting COOP sites and
  plans
• Manage and coordinate regional response to any
  emergencies existing or imminent environmental
  releases or threats to human health
• Implement EPA responsibilities under the NRP
• Implement delegated responsibilities from
  Headquarters under federal statues determined to
  be essential

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Essential Functions (cont)

• Protect Health of Employees
• Education and risk communication
• Communicate health advisories (HHS DOH)
• Enhanced janitorial practices
• Social distancing/IT enhancements
• Field PPE/health safety

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Essential Functions (cont)

• Maintain Essential Functions
• Maintain communication with stakeholders and
  provide program technical assistance and support
  related to Lead, PCBs, Toxics, Air Toxics,
  Radiology, Fuel, Air Modeling, Pesticides (Carol
  Kemker, Doug Neeley, Beverly Spagg)
• Support Superfund and RCRA programs by providing
  Air Toxics monitoring assistance (emergencies)
  and assistance in radiological hazards (Neeley,
  Shrieves, France, Mitchell)
• Ensure processing/awarding of time critical
  Continuing Environmental Program grants (Rinck,
  Persinger, Echols).
• Process notices of arrival for pesticides or
  devices (Benante, Toney, Gettle)

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Essential Functions (cont)

• Assist state/local air agencies to prepare
  variances and waiver requests due to lack of
  approved fuels. Also, assist state/local
  agencies with any critical rule-making/regulation
  development or permit as necessary. (Prince,
  Davis, Benjamin)

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Essential Functions (cont)

• National Response Policy (NRP) Support
• Lead Agency for Emergency Support Function (ESF)
  10- Oil and Hazardous Materials Response
• Support Agency for
• ESF 3 Public Works and Engineering drinking
  water wastewater issues
• ESF 8 Public Health and Medical Services (HHS)
• ESF 11 Agriculture and Natural Resources (USDA)
  includes pesticide evaluation/recommendations

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EPA Roles and Responsibilities for AI support
to USDA and DOI

• Offer recommendations and technical assistance on
  carcass disposal and decon issues
• Serve as a Disposal Unit Leader in Avian Flu
  Response Task Force lead by USDA

• Register pesticides for decon
• Sector lead for water security - assist in
  communications with the water sector
• Regulate concentrated animal feeding operations
  so they dont impair water quality

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Conclusion

• Communication
• Share emergency contact info
• Share operational plan
• Communicate needs you may see in your state
  relative to preparation
• Planning
• Pandemic Planning is addressing infrastructure
  needs to support continued funding (grants,
  contracts, payroll, etc.)
• Drills that may involve state partners