CNSNews.com - 45 Percent of Global Swine Flu Cases Found in USA

CNSNews.com - 45 Percent of Global Swine Flu Cases Found in USA

(CNSNews.com) - Of the 39,620 cases of novel H1N1 influenza reported worldwide as of June 17, almost half of them are in the United States.



The U.S. leads the world with 17,855 laboratory-confirmed swine flu cases – up from 13, 217 reported cases on June 12.

Other flu hot spots include Mexico with 6,241 confirmed cases as of June 17; Canada (4,049), Chile (2,335), and Australia (2,112).

According to the World Health Organization – which declared a global swine flu pandemic earlier this month -- 167 people have died worldwide as of June 17. Almost all of those deaths were in two countries -- the United States (44) and Mexico (108).

Some of the most recent victims were young and seemingly healthy, according to newspaper reports. They include an 8-year-old boy from Oak Forest, Ill., who died on Saturday; and a 20-year-old woman from Escondido, Calif., who died Monday, two days after the onset of flu symptoms.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office reported this month that an influenza pandemic remains a real threat to the nation and the world, and it said federal agencies need to do more to protect federal workers and ensure continuity of government operations in the event of a widespread outbreak.

The GAO surveyed 24 agencies that employ nearly all federal workers and found that a “wide range of pandemic planning activities are underway,” but progress varies from agency to agency.

The June 12 GAO report found that although many pandemic plans rely on telework, some federal agencies had not yet identified essential jobs that cannot be performed remotely; and five agencies had not tested information technology systems that are necessary for working remotely.

Some government employees -- including federal correctional workers, air traffic controllers, and staffers who write Social Security and other government checks -- cannot work remotely, and the GAO used those workers as case studies in its report.

The June 12 report concludes that “some agencies are not close to having operational pandemic plans, particularly at the facility level.”

The GAO also said there is no monitoring mechanism in place to ensure that agencies complete their pandemic plans.

“A monitoring process should be in place that would ensure that federal agencies are making progress in developing their plans to protect their workforce in the event of a pandemic and that agencies have the information and guidance they need to develop operational pandemic plans,” the GAO recommended.

The GAO specifically recommended that the Homeland Security secretary “monitor and report” to the president – within a specific time frame -- on the readiness of agencies to continue their operations while protecting workers during an influenza epidemic.

“We also suggested that to help support its oversight responsibilities, the Congress may want to consider requiring DHS (Homeland Security Department) to report to it on agencies’ progress in developing and implementing their pandemic plans, including any key challenges and gaps in the plans.”