Appropriation to prepare for a pandemic of a novel strain of influenza (HB3140 HD1).

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the State of Hawaii must prepare itself against threats posed toward the safety of its residents and notes the highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) which has spread across Asia and has been detected in Eastern Europe. While primarily affecting birds at the present time, at least one hundred forty-four human cases have been reported in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Turkey with a mortality rate of approximately fifty per cent. Scientists are particularly concerned about this highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza currently circulating in Asia and parts of Europe and agree that another influenza pandemic is inevitable and possibly imminent.

Based on historical patterns, influenza pandemics can be expected to occur, on an average of three to four times each century when new virus subtypes emerge and are readily transmitted from person to person. However, the occurrence of influenza pandemics is unpredictable. In the twentieth century, the great influenza pandemic of 1918–1919, which caused an estimated forty to fifty million deaths worldwide, was followed by pandemics in 1957–1958 and 1968–1969.

An influenza pandemic has the potential to cause more death and illness than any other public health threat. If a pandemic influenza virus with similar virulence to the 1918 strain emerged today, in the absence of intervention, it is estimated that 1.9 million Americans could die and almost ten million could be hospitalized over the course of the pandemic, which may evolve over a year or more. Preparedness to lessen the impact of a pandemic is imperative.

The purpose of this Act is to help protect the health, safety, and welfare of Hawaii residents from this novel strain of influenza by acquiring medications, mass clinic supplies, laboratory supplies and equipment, personal protective equipment, and a data management system for tracking cases and contacts.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006 to acquire medications, mass clinic supplies, laboratory supplies and equipment, personal protective equipment, and a data management system for tracking cases and contacts necessary to prepare for a pandemic of a novel strain of influenza.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. Any provision of this Act to the contrary notwithstanding, the appropriation authorized under this Act shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made. Any unexpended and unencumbered balance of the appropriation made in this Act as of the close of the business on June 30, 2007, shall lapse.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon approval.