United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2007-06-20 monographic deposited born digital 78 p. GA 1.13:GAO-07-604 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-604 P0b002ee180391a0a f:d07604 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-604 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-604 GAO-07-604 Avian influenza Birds Emergency preparedness Epidemics Federal aid to foreign countries Infectious diseases International organizations International relations Pandemic Poultry Risk assessment Strategic planning Other Written Product A71195 Since 2003, a global epidemic of avian influenza has raised concern about the risk of an influenza pandemic among humans, which could cause millions of deaths. The United States and its international partners have begun implementing a strategy to forestall (prevent or delay) a pandemic and prepare to cope should one occur. Disease experts generally agree that the risk of a pandemic strain emerging from avian influenza in a given country varies with (1) environmental factors, such as disease presence and certain high-risk farming practices, and (2) preparedness factors, such as a country's capacity to control outbreaks. This report describes (1) U.S. and international efforts to assess pandemic risk by country and prioritize countries for assistance and (2) steps that the United States and international partners have taken to improve the ability to forestall a pandemic. To address these objectives, we interviewed officials and analyzed data from U.S. agencies, international organizations, and nongovernmental experts. The U.S. and international agencies whose efforts we describe reviewed a draft of this report. In general, they concurred with our findings. Several provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-604/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-604.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-604/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-604.pdf GAO-07-604 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-604 Other Written Product GAO-07-604; Influenza Pandemic: Efforts to Forestall Onset Are Under Way; Identifying Countries at Greatest Risk Entails Challenges; Avian influenza Birds Emergency preparedness Epidemics Federal aid to foreign countries Infectious diseases International organizations International relations Pandemic Poultry Risk assessment Strategic planning Public Law 109-13 Public Law 109-148 Public Law 109-234