Public Health and Border Security: HHS and DHS Should Further Strengthen Their Ability to Respond to TB Incidents

In fiscal year 2008, we analyzed how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Health and Human Services, and state and local health officials worked together to interdict two individuals with drug resistant infectious tuberculosis at U.S. borders, prevent their crossing the border, and direct them to treatment. We reported, among other things, that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)--a DHS agency--had enhanced its process for creating public health alerts based on some variations of biographic information (e.g., name, date of birth, or travel document information), but had not explored the benefits of creating these alerts based on other variations--a problem that impeded DHS's ability to interdict one of the individuals at the border. CBP provided documentation showing that its Treasury Enforcement Communication System (TECS) data processing procedures had been modified and new policy and procedures established when public health alerts are created and entered. Now, when CBP officials create public health alerts in TECS, they review the subject's biographical information to determine if variations of the information are necessary to ensure the subject of the public health alert is properly identified at ports of entry. If the biographical information can be varied, the officials are to enter the varied information as a part of the alert. We found that the TECS data processing modifications and new policy and procedures could enhance CBP's ability to better identify individuals who are the subject of public health alerts and consider this recommendation to be implemented.

In response to our recommendation, in September 2010 CDC developed 2 companion products, the CDC Guidance for Requesting the Addition of an Individual to the Do Not Board and Border Lookout Lists and a checklist of action items for a Do Not Board/Lookout request. These companion products were made available to state and local health officials by providing them, with a letter explaining the documents, to three associations representing these officials, for posting on their member Web sites. CDC also posted links to the companion products on various agency Web sites, a CDC official said, and made presentations to state and local health officials about the new tools and procedures. In addition, a CDC official said the agency is developing a web-based training module for state and local health officials, with the intent to provide continuing education credits for using the training module. By taking these steps, HHS has helped ensure that relevant state and local health officials are aware of the federal assistance at their disposal and may be better equipped to use the new procedures and tools.

In response to our recommendation, in September 2010 CDC developed 2 companion products, the CDC Guidance for Requesting the Addition of an Individual to the Do Not Board and Border Lookout Lists and a checklist of action items for a Do Not Board/Lookout request. These companion products were made available to state and local health officials by providing them, with a letter explaining the documents, to three associations representing these officials, for posting on their member Web sites. CDC also posted links to the companion products on various agency Web sites, a CDC official said, and made presentations to state and local health officials about the new tools and procedures. In addition, a CDC official said the agency is developing a web-based training module for state and local health officials, with the intent to provide continuing education credits for using the training module. By taking these steps, HHS has helped ensure that relevant state and local health officials are aware of the federal assistance at their disposal and may be better equipped to use the new procedures and tools.

In fiscal year 2008, we analyzed how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and state and local health officials worked together to interdict two individuals with drug resistant infectious tuberculosis at U.S. borders, prevent their crossing the border, and direct them to treatment. We reported, among other things, that HHS and DHS should work together to develop plans for completing additional actions that require cross agency coordination to respond to future tuberculosis incidents. Since the issuance of our report, DHS and HHS continued to work together to protect the traveling public from individuals that pose a serious public health threat. In April 2011, DHS and HHS officials signed an agreement to implement a plan that is intended to enhance the Do Not Board List and Process -- a list and process designed to protect the traveling public from individuals that pose a serious public health threat. The agreement states that DHS will use the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) to streamline the information sharing process between DHS and HHS. HSIN is a national, secure web-based portal for information sharing and collaboration between federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, private sector, and international partners engaged in the homeland security mission. In addition, DHS and HHS agreed that DHS will routinely provide a report that captures information about individuals who attempted air travel, but were successfully denied travel due to their presence on the Do Not Board List and individuals who conducted air travel despite being on the List. This agreement demonstrates that DHS and HHS have a completed plan in place that should improve the Do Not Board List and Process and protect the traveling public from individuals that pose a serious public health threat. Therefore, this recommendation is closed as implemented.

In fiscal year 2008, we analyzed how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and state and local health officials worked together to interdict two individuals with drug resistant infectious tuberculosis at U.S. borders, prevent their crossing the border, and direct them to treatment. We reported, among other things, that HHS and DHS should work together to develop plans for completing additional actions that require cross agency coordination to respond to future tuberculosis incidents. Since the issuance of our report, DHS and HHS continued to work together to protect the traveling public from individuals that pose a serious public health threat. In April 2011, DHS and HHS officials signed an agreement to implement a plan that is intended to enhance the Do Not Board List and Process -- a list and process designed to protect the traveling public from individuals that pose a serious public health threat. The agreement states that DHS will use the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) to streamline the information sharing process between DHS and HHS. HSIN is a national, secure web-based portal for information sharing and collaboration between federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, private sector, and international partners engaged in the homeland security mission. In addition, DHS and HHS agreed that DHS will routinely provide a report that captures information about individuals who attempted air travel, but were successfully denied travel due to their presence on the Do Not Board List and individuals who conducted air travel despite being on the List. This agreement demonstrates that DHS and HHS have a completed plan in place that should improve the Do Not Board List and Process and protect the traveling public from individuals that pose a serious public health threat. Therefore, this recommendation is closed as implemented.