WASHINGTON - The U.S. response to the pandemic of H1N1 have been as good as can be expected in view of the economic slowdown, but the cuts in health spending public exposed vulnerabilities, according to a report published Tuesday.
Layoffs and cutbacks in public health weakened U.S. efforts to combat this pandemic that has killed about 10,000 Americans, the Fund helps the home of America's Health found.
"Trying to respond to a pandemic in the middle of the worst economic situation since the Great Depression that we have asked officials to do more with less, and the budgets and personnel were stretched beyond their limits" Vice President Rich Hamburg group of journalists .
More than half of the states - 27 - reduce funding for public health from 2008 to 2009, while federal funds to prepare for a pandemic has been reduced by more than 25 percent since fiscal 2005, the report says.
The state-by-state assessment also found that only 13 countries have purchased less than half their share of federal grants could save the lives of antiviral stocks for use during an flu pandemic.
The Trust, which has repeatedly criticized the U.S. for pandemic preparedness, recommended increased spending on public health and more money to modernize the production of vaccines against influenza and vaccine research and development.
National Association of County and City Health officials say that in the first half of 2009, local health departments cut about 8,000 jobs and reduce hours for the 12,000 other employees.
She said that legislation on health reform, which is currently being debated in Congress gives the opportunity both to save jobs and protect public health.
Vulnerable countries
"Responding to widespread economic distress by cutting programs and the preparation has really left the country vulnerable," said Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness.
Redlener said that the public health system "has plenty of that right, but the system as a whole has problems" in its response to the epidemic of H1N1.
Public notice of how the pandemic is constantly changing needs improvement, Redlener said.
Redlener also acknowledged that problems with the pace of production of H1N1 vaccine harbored concern because it does not meet the high expectations of the public.
"The fact that the matter is that we do not really live up to those expectations, and it was very confusing. But when it was available, the vaccine is that it was distributed quickly and efficiently," he said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the swine flu has infected one person in six in the United States since its arrival in April and has killed nearly 10,000, including 1100 children and 7500 young adults.
In a typical year, seasonal flu kills 36,000 Americans and puts 200,000 in the hospital.
CDC said last week that 85 million doses of vaccine against H1N1 had been made available for distribution to date, up from 73 million doses a week earlier.
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