Responding to the H1N1 Influenza Virus

Planning for a pandemic influenza is a health issue that involves all levels of government.  Government officials need to learn about, prepare for, and collaborate in efforts to slow down and respond to the threat, and to minimize and recover from a potential pandemic.  Local governments, especially, need to set priorities for maintaining public safety and other essential public services, to support local health agencies in providing information to the public and, where necessary, to close public buildings and to assist in establishing alternative care sites for the delivery of health care and immunization to the public.

Read more from NLC on pandemic preparation:
Preparing for Pandemic Influenza
Promoting and Protecting Healthy Communities: A City Officials Guide to Public Health

NLC has been monitoring information provided by federal departments and agencies.  See below for links to key federal information and guidance.

Updated Guidance for Schools for the Fall Flu Season

The guidance reflects what we learned this spring and what we must plan for this fall.

• CDC Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials and School Administrators
• Technical Report for State and Local Public Health Officials and School Administrators on CDC Guidance
• Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Schools (Grades K-12)

Updated Guidance for State and Local Health Officials 

• Interim Reporting Guidance for State and Local Health Departments
• Recommendations for Use of Antiviral Medications in the Treatment and Prevention of Influenza 
• Questions and Answers about CDC’s Revised Recommendations for the Use of Antiviral Drugs

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 Resource List

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued new information and guidances about the "swine-origin" H1N1 influenza virus designed to help local governments and families prepare for and address the current health emergency.  These include: 

1. School Guidance:  — On May 5th the CDC issued new guidelines for school closings and effective ways of preventing the transmission of influenza within public schools.  To learn more go to http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/k12_dismissal.htm.
   
   
2. HealthMap: — Provides an overview of where swine flu cases have occurred on an interactive map. http://healthmap.org/swineflu
   
   
3. General Information:  A source for a broad range of information and links, including links to past  webcasts, can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
   
   
4. Department of Homeland Security publication on pandemic influenza:  Published in 2006 by  the Department of Homeland Security, this guide includes  information on the roles of the federal, state and local governments; how to maintain key operations during periods of extreme illness; and the importance of ongoing communications with citizens, employees, and others can be found at http://www.PandemicFlu.gov/plan/pdf/cikrpandemicinfluenzaguide.pdf.
   
   
5. Informational Podcasts on the H1N1 influenza virus:  A series of podcasts that can be downloaded to your computer or music/video player on a wide range of topics designed to inform clinicians, individuals, families and government officials about the swine flu can be found at http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/index.asp.
   
   
6. U.S. Dept of Education H1N1 FAQs for U.S. Schools:  Frequently asked questions about H1N1 influenza that are circulating within the education community and answers to those questions from the U.S. Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found at http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/pandemic/guidance/flu-faqs.pdf.
   
   
7. Pandemic Flu Checklist for State, Local, Law Enforcement, Health and Private Sector Industries:  A series of checklists that are intended to aid local governments prepare for a pandemic health event, such as the H1N1 influenza, in a coordinated and consistent manner can be found at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/checklists.html.
   
   
8. Public Service Announcements:  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released three Public Service Announcements that may be used by public and private radio stations.  The PSAS focus on “swine flue preparedness,” “community planning for swine flu,” of each PSA may be found at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/psa/.
   
   
9. Twitter Links:  The CDC announced that it is posting information about the H1N1 influenza virus on Twitter.  If you are already registered with Twitter you may follow the CDC’s updates by going to http://twitter.com/BirdFluGov.
   
   
10. Information for parents:  The CDC issued “Swine Flu: Information for Concerned Parents and Caregivers” that can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/parents.htm.  Included are answers to the following questions:  What is H1N1 (swine flu)? What are the symptoms?  How can you keep from getting swine flu?  What should one do if your child is sick?
    
    
11. EMS and 911 patient management:  Interim guidance for emergency medical service (EMS) systems and 911 public safety answering systems for the management of patients with confirmed or suspected “swine-origin” influenza. http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidance_ems.htm
    
    
12. Care for patients:  Interim guidance for clinicians on identifying and caring for patients with “swine-origin” influenza. http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/identifyingpatients.htm.
    
    
13. Screening for flu:  Interim guidance for screening for “swine-origin” influenza by state and local health departments, hospitals and clinicians in regions with few or no reported cases of swine flu.http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/screening.htm
    
    
14. Daily swine flu update:  The latest update from the CDC on the number of human cases of swine flu infection. http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
    
    
15. World Health Organization update:  Information from the World Health Organization (WHO) on raising the pandemic alert level from phase 4 to phase 5 and what that means. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_20090429/en/index.html.

NLC contacts:  Neil Bomberg (202 626 3042) or bomberg@nlc.org; Mitchel Herckis (202 626 3124) or herckis@nlc.org; Katie Seeger (202 626 3131) or seeger@nlc.org.