The Office of the Inspector General yesterday released a report that calls into question the federal Department of Homeland Security’s readiness to adequately respond to a potential pandemic.

The report, “DHS Has Not Effectively Managed Pandemic Personal Protective Equipment and Antiviral Medical Countermeasures,” OIG-14-129, determined that DHS did not develop and implement stockpile replenishment plans or inventory controls to monitor stockpiles, have adequate contract oversight processes or ensure compliance with department guidelines. DHS also has no assurance that the supplies on hand remain effective, according to the report.

For example, auditors found that:

• DHS has a reported inventory of approximately 16 million surgical masks without demonstrating a need for that quantity
• Personal protective equipment stockpiles include expired hand sanitizer
• 81 percent of antiviral drugs acquired by the DHS Office of Health Affairs Component will expire by the end of 2015
• DHS and its components do not know where its personal protective equipment is located, how much it has and the usability of the stockpiles that exist.

In 2006, Congress appropriated $47 million in supplemental funding to DHS to plan, train and prepare for a potential pandemic.