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Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act​ (PAHPA)


In December 2006, Congress passed and the President signed the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), Public Law No. 109-417, which has broad implications for the Department of Health and Human Service’s (HHS) preparedness and response activities.  Among other things, the Act amended the Public Health Service Act to established within the Department a new Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR); provided new authorities for a number of programs, including the advanced development and acquisitions of medical countermeasures; and called for the establishment of a quadrennial National Health Security Strategy.

The purpose of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act is “to improve the Nation’s public health and medical preparedness and response capabilities for emergencies, whether deliberate, accidental, or natural.”

Major Program Areas


  • Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Medical Countermeasures;
  • Emergency Support Function (ESF) #8: Public Health and Medical Response: Domestic Programs;
  • Emergency Support Function (ESF) #8: Public Health and Medical Response: International Programs;
  • Grants;
  • At-Risk Individuals;
  • National Health Security Strategy (NHSS);
  • Situational Awareness: Surveillance, Credentialing, and Tele​health; and
  • Education and Training

Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act

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