New Report: GAO Says USDA Needs to Take More Action to Reduce Risks of Avian Flu Outbreak

Press Release

A new report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that while the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken some actions to reduce the risks of an avian flu outbreak, a plan is needed to properly evaluate its efforts.

While avian flu rarely infects humans, health experts have been concerned that if a subtype of avian flu develops the capacity to spread easily from person to person, a pandemic could occur. A spike in human cases getting H7N9 avian flu in China in recent weeks is raising such concerns.

Another concern with avian flu is the threat to chickens that are needed to produce the eggs used in making critical human flu vaccines, particularly those that would be used against pandemic flu.

GAO notes that USDA has "identified 15 areas with lessons learned from its responses to the 2014 and 2016 outbreaks of avian influenza and 308 associated corrective actions," but USDA does not have a mechanism in place to review their actions. "GAO has previously found that agencies may use evaluations to ascertain the success of corrective actions, and that a well-developed plan for conducting evaluations can help ensure that agencies obtain the information necessary to make effective program and policy decisions."

Energy and Commerce Committee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO) told The Washington Post, "We know the devastating impacts of a global pandemic. Now it's up to the Department of Agriculture to make sure we are prepared and have a plan to combat this threat. Further, ensuring the effectiveness of their plans and procedures are just as important as the plans and procedures themselves."

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