U.S. May Not Be Prepared For Public Health Crises, Says New Report

Friday, February 26, 2010 at 4:24PM
Staff in H1N1, News/Commentary, Trust for america's health, chingyu Wang, funds, healthcare summit, jeffrey levi

By Chingyu Wang-Talk Radio News Service

According to a report issued by Trust For America's Health (TFAH), an organization based around disease prevention, many states are not prepared for a possible public health crisis.

"13 states have purchased less than 50% of their share of federally-subsidized antiviral drugs to stockpile for use during an influenza pandemic," said Jeffrey Levi, the organizations director.

Levi also pointed out that 27 states cut funding for public health in FY 2008-09 due to the recession.

The report states that the H1N1 flu outbreak highlights possible problems with the U.S.'s ability to respond to public health crises. Partial blame can be attributed to the lagging state of the economy, TFAH contends.

Article originally appeared on Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media (http://www.talkradionews.com/).