USDA is taking steps to prepare for an avian flu outbreak such as establishing surveillance programs and building a national veterinary stockpile to maintain critical supplies, but incomplete planning at the federal and state levels, as well as several unresolved issues, could slow response, GAO has said.
USDA is responsible for planning for outbreaks in poultry, with states’ assistance, while DHS is responsible for coordinating the federal response for certain emergencies and developing policy documents that serve as a basis for national emergency planning, but USDA is not planning for the lead coordinating role that DHS would assume if an outbreak among poultry occurred, according to GAO-07-652.
It said USDA response plans do not identify the capabilities needed to carry out the critical tasks associated with an outbreak scenario, the entities responsible for carrying them out, the resources needed, and the provider of those resources.
Some state plans lack important components that could facilitate rapid containment, which is problematic because states typically lead initial response efforts, GAO said.
It cited a number of unresolved issues that could complicate response, such as the lack of data on people who raise birds on their own, as well as the lack of estimates on the amount of antiviral medication that it would need during an outbreak or how to provide them quickly.
