FluPortal.org

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will host a press conference today at 12 pm ET on the H1N1 influenza pandemic. CDC Director Thomas Friedan will be updating the health agency’s H1N1 activities and answering questions from the media. The press conference will be webcast on the Flu.gov homepage. If public media stations would like to call in and participate in the press conference, you can find full details in the media advisory. A transcript of the press conference will be available later today in the CDC online press room.

To receive announcements of upcoming H1N1 briefings by the CDC, email media@cdc.gov

UPDATE: Full transcript and .MP3 audio of press conference is now posted on the CDC website. Or listen here:

[audio:http://www.fluportal.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/H1N1_09-03-09.mp3]

FEMA is using the website Ready.gov to promote the month of September as National Preparedness Month. The public awareness campaign encourages families, businesses and organizations to educate themselves of the proper actions to take in a wide variety of emergencies, including natural disasters, terrorist threats, and the expected return of the H1N1 pandemic. The site also lists supplies for a well stocked emergency kit to have on hand. Information for media outlets available in the Ready.gov Press Room.

Public health issues often get their own Public Service Announcements (PSAs), and H1N1 has gotten its fair share of audio and video treatments. Congresspeople have gotten in on the action, too: Look for audio and video PSAs by your state’s representatives.

The Department of Health and Human Services, having recorded several PSAs and with several more to come, enlisted the help of the very public it’s trying to educate. The 2009 Flu Prevention PSA Contest had 240 submissions. A panel of public health and media experts selected 10 finalists, and now the public gets to vote on their favorite.

You and your listeners can vote, too, until September 16. Vote here.

The winner gets $2500 and airtime on a number of media outlets. Maybe public media outlets, too.

This one didn’t make it to the finals. But it deserves some appreciation.

The Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology released a new report assessing the Obama Administration’s preparations for this fall’s expected resurgence of 2009-H1N1 flu. For a government document, it’s actually a pretty informative and suprisingly readable. The report outlines steps officials can take in the coming weeks and months to minimize the disease’s impact on the nation. You can read the White House press release or download the .pdf version of the full report. Among the highlights:

• Envisioning likely scenarios for the coming flu season
• Detailing the shortcomings of the existing data streams for monitoring the pandemic
• Recommendations for improving communications with the general public