New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. issued the following statement today in response to comments from City Hall concerning the Comptroller’s remarks about the City’s handling of the H1N1 virus:

“I continue to be concerned that many parents, guardians and school employees have expressed frustration over the lack of information regarding the city’s protocol in dealing with the H1N1 virus. Asking Mayor Bloomberg to share information with the public to alleviate further confusion and unnecessary worry is not a criticism; it’s a reasonable and responsible request.”

Yesterday, Thompson sent a letter to the Mayor noting that the City had not been fully keeping the public informed of the spread of the virus, specifically within City schools.
Thompson said that by deciding to keep schools open while dozens of children contracted the virus, and by not immediately sharing the information with the public, the City “denied parents the ability to make informed decisions about when it would be advisable to keep their children home as a precautionary measure.”
Additionally, Thompson urged the City to take the following steps to better inform the public of the H1N1 virus:

• Release and broadly distribute the detailed protocol being used to determine when a school should be closed, the scientific basis for the selected protocol, and the identity of the individual ultimately responsible for making the closure decision;
• Provide real-time public data reporting of all school absences;
• Issue a plan that details how decisions regarding school closures will be handled in the fall when the virus may resurface; and,
• Identify what additional capacity is being made available at emergency rooms throughout the City, and particularly pediatric emergency rooms in Queens, to address the surge in demand, especially in light of the recent closures of Mary Immaculate Hospital and St. John’s Hospital.

Thompson further questioned why protocols from the City’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan, created in 2006 in response to the threat of avian flu, were not implemented in this scenario.
“At this point, the H1N1 virus is mild when compared to the seasonal flu. The City must, however, reassure residents that it is fully prepared should this newest virus return in a more dangerous form,” Thompson said in his letter. “This reassurance can be achieved only through a transparent and well publicized process.”

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