Public Health Preparedness in a Reforming Health System

By SERENA VINTER, DARA ALPERT LIEBERMAN, and JEFFREY LEVI

The 2009–2010 H1N1 novel influenza A pandemic revealed serious underlying gaps in our nation’s ability to respond to public health emergencies. H1N1 is the latest in a string of public health crises Americans have faced in the past decade, which have included a nationwide food-borne disease outbreak in June and July of 2008, natural disasters like the California wildfires in August 2007 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, and man-made disasters including the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 and the anthrax mailings in October of the same year. These public health emergencies have tested our nation’s ability to respond to threats.

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