Fed inspector finds DHS poorly prepared for flu pandemic
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has done a poor job of managing supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and antiviral medications to protect its workforce during an influenza pandemic, the department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has found.
"The department has no assurance that it has sufficient PPE and MCM [medical countermeasures] for DHS employees to continue operations," says the report, released today. "DHS also has no assurance that the supplies on hand remain effective."
Among other problems, "DHS and its components do not know where its personal protective equipment is located, how much it has, and the usability of the stockpiles that exist," the OIG said in a statement today.
Congress appropriated $47 million in supplemental funds in 2006 to enable DHS to plan, train, and prepare for a pandemic, the statement said.
But the report says the department did not adequately assess its needs before buying PPE and MCMs, and it didn't effectively manage what it bought.
DHS did not have clear methods for deciding the kinds and amounts of supplies to buy, and it failed to develop and implement replenishment plans, sufficient controls to monitor stockpiles, and contract oversight processes, according to the report.
As examples of the resulting problems, the OIG statement said:
- 84% of nearly 5,000 bottles of hand sanitizer in the DHS stockpile were expired
- 81% of antiviral drugs acquired by DHS will expire by the end of 2015
- DHS has a reported inventory of 16 million surgical masks but has not demonstrated a need for that quantity
The OIG said it made 11 recommendations to correct the problems, and DHS agreed with the intent of all 11.
In the statement, Inspector General John Roth said he was pleased with DHS's response and pledged to would work with DHS officials to make sure that the preparedness program is strengthened.
Sep 8 DHS OIG statement
DHS OIG report (38 pages)
Study data show flu symptom reduction after peramivir shot
A phase 2 and a phase 3 clinical trial indicate that a single injection of the antiviral drug peramivir might reduce influenza symptoms and shedding of flu virus, according to data presented today at the 54th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), an infectious diseases meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
In the two placebo-controlled studies involving a total of 427 adults, a single 300-milligram shot of peramivir was given within 48 hours after the onset of flu-like symptoms. For 14 days study participants recorded their temperature and the severity of seven flu symptoms using a four-point scale.
Compared with patients who received a placebo, peramivir reduced the median time to alleviation of symptoms by 22 hours, time to resolution of fever by 24 hours, and the amount of nasal viral shedding in the first 2 days after treatment.
The studies also demonstrated the injected drug to be safe and well tolerated.
In August a trial of intravenous (IV) peramivir was discontinued after it did not speed up relief from flu symptoms.
Sep 8 ICAAC abstract
Aug 13 CIDRAP News scan on IV peramivir trial