The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will complete a review by "early next year" of how the nation can more quickly develop and produce medical countermeasures for public health emergencies, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced last week.
"These are the treatments, vaccines, prophylaxis, diagnostics, personal protective equipment, and non-pharmaceutical aids like ventilators that help reduce the spread of infections, reduce health consequences, and ultimately save lives," Sebelius said at an American Medical Association (AMA) conference on health system readiness. She said she ordered the evaluation in part because the H1N1 vaccine shortage had highlighted the nation's dependence on antiquated technology.
HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response will lead the review, which Sebelius said will "look for the fastest ways to move to new technologies that will let us quickly produce countermeasures that are more dependable and more robust. Not just for flu and not just for infectious diseases, but for all the public health threats we face today."
At least 69 million doses of H1N1 vaccine are now available. But the vaccine was produced much more slowly than officials predicted it would be, leading to long lines and frustration nationwide. The HHS secretary said the lag is a clear example of the shortcoming of today's technologies. "We were fighting the 2009 H1N1 flu with vaccine technology from the 1950s," Sebelius told the AMA conference.
The HHS review comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges Americans to continue to seek the H1N1 vaccine, even though the peak of the second wave appears to have passed. A third wave could occur later this winter, according to the CDC.
In related news, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued guidance to field staff conducting inspections to minimize high-risk occupational exposures to the 2009 H1N1 flu virus in health care and other settings.
In response to complaints, OSHA said its inspectors will ensure that health care employers implement a hierarchy of controls, and encourage vaccination and other work practices recommended by the CDC.
"The CDC recommends the use of respiratory protection that is at least as protective as a fit-tested disposable N95 respirator for health care personnel who are in close contact (within 6 feet) with patients who have suspected or confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza," OSHA said. "Where respirators are not commercially available, an employer will be considered to be in compliance if the employer can show a good faith effort has been made to acquire respirators."
For more on the guidance, click on "OSHA issues H1N1 compliance directive" under the "OSHA News" section of www.osha.gov.
