RESOLUTION NO. _____________

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY OF SAN MATEO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA

* * * * * *

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY MANAGER TO REVIEW AND DETERMINE ANY NEED TO PROCLAIM A CONTINUATION OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY RESULTING FROM INFLUENZA VACCINE SHORTAGE AND TO MAKE SUCH A PROCLAMATION DURING THE PERIOD OF NOVEMBER 23 THROUGH DECEMBER 7, 2004

______________________________________________________________

RESOLVED, by the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo, State of California, that

WHEREAS, nearly half of the expected U.S. influenza vaccine supply will not be available for the current influenza season; and

WHEREAS, the San Mateo County Health Services Agency obtains most of its influenza vaccine from the California Department of Health Services (DHS); and

WHEREAS, California has not purchased adult vaccine since it has ordered its vaccine from Chiron Corporation whose vaccine will not be available this year; and

WHEREAS, there exists a critical local public health crisis in that there is extreme peril to the health and safety of vulnerable populations including the medically fragile, the elderly and young children caused by the influenza vaccine shortage; and

WHEREAS, in San Mateo County persons at highest risk for complications of influenza include nearly 70,000 adults over 65 years of age, more than 16,000 children ages 6-23 months, more than 8,000 pregnant women, and the caregivers of 5,000 infants under 6 months who are too young to receive influenza vaccine; and

WHEREAS, in the U.S., more than 36,000 people die annually of complications related to influenza, and there are on average 180 pneumonia related deaths annually in San Mateo County; and

WHEREAS, the conditions of peril warrant and necessitate the proclamation of a local emergency as defined in San Mateo County Ordinance Code Section 2.172.020(d); and by the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo, State of California, and

WHEREAS, the County Health Officer has determined that a local emergency exists due to the extreme peril to the safety of persons caused by the significant risk of influenza; and

WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code section 101040 provides that the County Health Officer may take any preventive measure that may be necessary to protect and preserve the public health from any public health hazard during any "local emergency," as defined by Section 8558 of the Government Code, within his or her jurisdiction; and

WHEREAS, Section 8558 (c) of the Government Code defines local emergency as the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a county . . . caused by such conditions as epidemic . . . ; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 101040 "preventive measure" means abatement, correction, removal or any other protective step that may be taken against any public health hazard that is caused by a disaster and affects the public health; and

WHEREAS, for the reasons set forth above, the County Manager as the Director of Emergency Services for the County of San Mateo also Board of Supervisors have proclaimed the existence or threatened existence of a "local emergency" pursuant to San Mateo County Ordinance Code Section 2.172.060 (a)(1), and

WHEREAS, On October 14 and on October 26 this Board of Supervisors found that the influenza vaccine shortage and warranted and necessitated the declaration of a local emergency under section 8558 (c) of the Government Code and San Mateo County Ordinance Code Section 2.172.060;

WHEREAS, On November 9, 2004 this Board of Supervisors found that the influenza vaccine shortage and warranted and necessitated the declaration of a local emergency under section 8558 (c) of the Government Code and San Mateo County Ordinance Code Section 2.172.060;

WHEREAS, this Board’s ratification of the local health emergency is required every fourteen days, but this Board is not scheduled to meet until December 7, 2004, and it is of utmost importance that the declaration of local health emergency remain in full force and effect;

NOW, THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED, that the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors authorizes the County Manager in his role as the Director of Emergency Services to review and determine any need to proclaim a continuation of a local emergency resulting from influenza vaccine shortage and to make such a proclamation during the period from November 23 through December 7, 2004.

* * * * * *