The Pandemic Flu Leadership Blog

Posted on June 24, 2007

The Department of Health and Human Services' Pandemicflu.gov website provides avian and pandemic flu information. The website has been running an interesting blog over the past several weeks to discuss and find the best ways to help Americans become more prepared for a possible influenza pandemic. Contributors to the blog are national leaders from the healthcare, faith-based, business and community sectors. The blog does allow comments.

On June 13, Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, convened a leadership forum on pandemic preparedness, which brought together highly influential leaders from the business, faith, civic and health care sectors to discuss how best to help Americans become more prepared for a possible influenza pandemic. The Department is hosting this five-week blog to expand the conversation as part of an ongoing effort by the Department to help Americans become more prepared. HHS does not edit blog postings and cannot ensure that all included links are functioning. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The blog will be coming to a close this week on June 27th but the archives will remain available. Recently the CDC released a scary chart that shows the risk posed by pandemic flu to the United States. A Cat 5 pandemic flu would leave over 1.8 million dead and close major cities for months on end. Even a Category 1 pandemic flu on the chart could create confusion and chaos -- nightmare scenarios for local governmental officials. It is easy to see the need for ongoing discussion and for the leadership blog.