The winning projects were chosen from 184 funding applications submitted by state and local health departments. Only the 62 state, local and territorial public health departments currently receiving federal funding through CDC's Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement were eligible.
"What is learned from these projects can benefit everyone because it could improve national, regional and local public health detection and response to a pandemic involving influenza," said Richard Besser, MD, director of CDC's Coordinating Center for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response.
Besser said the projects would be tasked with implementing new practices and developing new approaches and models that can be used nationally.
The projects begin on September 30, 2008, and the award recipients have one year to complete their work. The projects focus on a range of key areas, including public engagement, increased data exchange, and death reporting systems compliant with the Public Health Information Network.
In addition, state-based immunization information systems will be developed to track countermeasures, and new systems will be created to distribute and dispense antiviral drugs to self-isolated or self-quarantined persons.
The new projects are part of $600 million in PHEP supplemental funding appropriated by Congress. The funding, distributed in three phases beginning in 2006, is focused on practical, community-based procedures to prevent or delay the spread of an influenza pandemic.