February 22, 2006 - De La Torre to Examine State's Preparedness Plan for Avian Flu

De La Torre to Examine State's Preparedness Plan for Avian Flu

Sacramento, CA - Assemblymember Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate), Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, will hold an oversight hearing to examine the Department of Health Services' draft Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan. The hearing will take place at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 at the State Capitol, Room 437.

"My concern is that California's system of public health faces problems notwithstanding the current threat of avian flu," said Assemblymember De La Torre. "Our state labs and hospitals, in particular, are facing serious staffing and resource issues. We need the infrastructure to protect Californians from contagious illnesses. My committee will thoroughly examine the Administration's plan to ensure that Californians are protected."

WHAT:	Joint Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services / Assembly Health Committee Oversight Hearing on California's Draft Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan
WHO:	Hector De La Torre, Assemblymember, 50th District Wilma Chan, Assemblymember, 16th District Pedro Nava, Assemblymember, 35th District Sandra Shewry, Director, Department of Health Services Mark Horton, State Public Health Officer County Health Executives of California Health Officers Association of California California Conference of Local Health Officers University of California, Davis California Hospital Association California Medical Association California Primary Care Association California Pharmacists Association
WHERE:	State Capitol, 437 Sacramento, CA 95814
WHEN:	Wednesday, February 22, 2006 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Background:

On January 18, 2006, the Schwarzenegger Administration released its draft Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan. The plan has been drafted to outline a statewide public health response to the potential outbreak of a world-wide pandemic of influenza.

In November 2005, Assemblymember Hector De La Torre convened a hearing of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services on the topic of California's preparation to deal with a potential statewide outbreak of the avian flu. At the hearing, the Bureau of State Audits testified that two key emergency plans to combat infectious disease, the Disaster Medical Response and Medical Mutual Aid plans, had not been updated in 10 and 20 years, respectively. Expert witnesses also argued that California could do much more to prepare for a pandemic of influenza.

Public health officials all over the world are monitoring the emergence of avian influenza type A (H5N1). Currently, H5N1 can only be transmitted to humans through contact with infected birds. However, scientists believe that it is only a matter of time before it mutates into a strain that can spread between humans.

Once this transition occurs, the virus could appear quickly in California leading to serious public health, economic and social implications. The H5N1 virus has killed 91 out of approximately 169 people in Asia and Turkey since 2003, a mortality rate of over 50 percent. The virus has spread in bird populations throughout Asia, Eastern Europe and parts of Africa.

The Administration's response plan will be subject to public comment until late February with a final version released this spring.

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