Ladies and gentlemen, Based on assessment of all available information, and following several expert consultations, I have decided to raise the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to phase 5. Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world. On the positive side, the world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history. Preparedness measures undertaken because of the threat from H5N1 avian influenza were an investment, and we are now benefiting from this investment. For the first time in history, we can track the evolution of a pandemic in real-time. I thank countries who are making the results of their investigations publicly available. This helps us understand the disease. I am impressed by the work being done by affected countries as they deal with the current outbreaks. I also want to thank the governments of the USA and Canada for their support to WHO, and to Mexico. Let me remind you. New diseases are, by definition, poorly understood. Influenza viruses are notorious for their rapid mutation and unpredictable behaviour. WHO and health authorities in affected countries will not have all the answers immediately, but we will get them. WHO will be tracking the pandemic at the epidemiological, clinical, and virological levels. The results of these ongoing assessments will be issued as public health advice, and made publicly available. All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. Countries should remain on high alert for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia. At this stage, effective and essential measures include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities. This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharmaceutical industry and the business community that certain actions should now be undertaken with increased urgency, and at an accelerated pace. I have reached out to donor countries, to UNITAID, to the GAVI Alliance, the World Bank and others to mobilize resources. I have reached out to companies manufacturing antiviral drugs to assess capacity and all options for ramping up production. I have also reached out to influenza vaccine manufacturers that can contribute to the production of a pandemic vaccine. The biggest question, right now, is this: how severe will the pandemic be, especially now at the start? It is possible that the full clinical spectrum of this disease goes from mild illness to severe disease. We need to continue to monitor the evolution of the situation to get the specific information and data we need to answer this question. From past experience, we also know that influenza may cause mild disease in affluent countries, but more severe disease, with higher mortality, in developing countries. No matter what the situation is, the international community should treat this as a window of opportunity to ramp up preparedness and response. Above all, this is an opportunity for global solidarity as we look for responses and solutions that benefit all countries, all of humanity. After all, it really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic. As I have said, we do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them. Thank you.
WHO Upgrades Alert to Level 5
USFA H1N1 Press Release
USFA Press Office: (301) 447-1853
Washington DC- In an effort to send a common message the USFA is working
with Department of Homeland Security Office of Health Affairs and other Federal partners (FICEMS) to issue an EMS, Medical First Responder and 9-1-1 specific guidance document to the Nation’s first responders. This is a dynamic process and we [...]
H1N1 Swine Flu Reaches 91 in United States
April 29, 2009 12:53 MDT
While the World Health Organization (WHO) raised it’s global threat level to 4 yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has indicated an increased level of swine flu cases to 91 as of today. These cases span 10 states and includes the first reported U.S. death from the virus. To keep [...]
Sofa Super Store Fire Update
While much of the work on this project is being done as time permits, substantial progress has been made in the past couple of months. Most of the audio has been transcribed for video integration, and replacement fire engines have been designed and constructed for later scene replacement. Final steps in the first phase of [...]
Sofa Super Store Fire
On June 18, 2007, nine firefighters from the Charleston SC Fire Department perished in a commercial warehouse showroom fire. Since that time, there have been multiple investigations into the incident, and there is much to be learned from this tragedy. Tundra Media and Advanced Safety Products, Inc., have teamed up to produce an animated forensic [...]
FEMA Updates NIMS
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today released a revised National Incident Management System (NIMS)- the national standard for incident management. NIMS establishes standardized incident management processes, protocols, and procedures that all federal, state, tribal and local responders will use to coordinate and conduct response actions.
NIMS [...]
New Implementation Objectives for Healthcare Organizations
The Incident Management Systems Integration (IMSI) Division, formerly the NIMS Integration Center, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is pleased to announce the release of the FY 2008 NIMS Implementation Objectives for Healthcare Organizations. On September 16, 2006, IMSI released the FY 2007 NIMS Implementation Activities for Hospitals and Healthcare [...]
The Incident Management Systems Division Releases the Finalized ICS Core
The Incident Management Systems Division Releases the Finalized ICS Core Competencies
As part of our Nation’s efforts to strengthen catastrophic response capabilities in line with the National Incident Management System (NIMS), FEMA’s Incident Management Systems Division has released the finalized Incident Command System (ICS) Core Competencies.
In February 2005, the Incident Management Systems Division (IMSD) gathered [...]
National Review of the Five-Year NIMS Training Plan
 National Review of the Five-Year Training Plan
The National Integration Center’s (NIC) Incident Management SystemsDivision (IMSD) has developed a Five-Year National Incident ManagementSystem (NIMS) Training Plan. The Plan establishes a common nationalfoundation for NIMS training and qualifying emergencymanagement/response personnel. More specifically, the Plan will guideNIMS training activities; support stakeholder training and planning; [...]
Bomb Squad & SWAT Typing
The Incident Management Systems Division Releases Updated Bomb Squad and SWAT/Tactical Team Resource Typing Definitions
As part of our Nation’s efforts to strengthen catastrophic response
capabilities in line with the National Incident Management System (NIMS),
FEMA’s Incident Management Systems Division has released updated resource
typing definitions for Bomb Squad and SWAT resources to be deployed in
mutual aid.
A Law Enforcement [...]