Hannon Conducts First Public Hearing On Avian Flu
Senator Kemp Hannon (6th Senate District), Chairman of the Senate Health Committee and Senator Michael Balboni (Seventh Senate District), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, today co-chaired the first of its kind public hearing in New York State to examine the potential avian influenza pandemic and the impact it would have on the public and the healthcare system.
Among those invited to testify at the hearing were Willian Raub, Ph.D, Senior Scientific Advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, New York State Health Conmmissioner Antonia Novello, MD Ted Hallman, the State's Senior Advisor for Homeland Security, as well as a number private and public health officials from Long Island. The distinguished panel explored the reality of the avian flu reaching our shores and escalating into a full fledged pandemic and the reality of our preparedness.
"The ability of infectious disease to spread becomes increasingly easier as the world becomes smaller. Good, reliable transportation has allowed for the individuals to travel the globe with ease. The transient nature of the populations of the world requires a coordinated public health response with the possibility of the onset of any infectious disease. A highly contagious, infectious disease can evade any government or any nation," said Senator Hannon.
Senator Balboni (7th Senate District, Long Island) said, "By law, counties are responsible for putting together plans to respond to emergencies, including a bird flu pandemic. Some of the critical questions we addressed during this hearing included whether or not localities have the supplies, manpower and hospital beds necessary and how state and local governments will communicate during an outbreak."
"These potential public health threats, global in nature, require a coordinated transnational response, which then brings us back to the Public Hearing. NYS has prepared and developed the Pandemic Influenza Plan which provides guidance for local response initiatives, as well as illustrating the state's role in coordinating the response," continued Hannon.
"NYS is prepared for the challenge. Today's witness testimony reinforced that communication and cooperation among local, state and federal government, as well as private industry, are the hallmarks of any successful effort to thwart a flu pandemic or to ensure any successful emergency response," concluded Hannon.
-------------
my silver lining is a silver bullet
|