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Influenza outbreak: 'Not if... but when'
Elliott didn't know if it was going to be "the H5N1 Asian Flu or some other strain. Sooner or later we're going to have a pandemic influenza outbreak." A county Pandemic Influenza Planning Committee meeting was held Sept. 19 at the Clarke County Courthouse. Planning has been underway in the county for several months, he said. Representatives from the county Emergency Management Agency, the county firefighters association, Grove Hill Memorial Hospital, area doctors, Grove Hill Area Chamber of Commerce, local funeral homes and county Community Watch programs were in attendance. Avian flu has not been detected in the United States. It has not shown the ability to be spread human-to-human, Elliott said. "When that occurs, the pandemic will start." It has been detected in poultry in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt and Indonesia. Authorities began to notice the problem in 1998. The influenza usually goes from migratory birds and to domesticated poultry. "Hardly ever does it go back from domesticated birds to the wild birds," he said. However, H5N1 made that reverse infection. The avian flu is now being watched for transition from bird to human. There is no transference expected from birds to pets (dogs or cats). Clarke County will only receive a specific amount of anti-viral medicine paid by federal and state funding. Hospitals and other medical facilities may have their own supply. The worst pandemic in history was the Spanish flu of 1918. It is believed a modern pandemic would last 18 months and include three different waves of the sickness, Elliott said. "The governor will be closing schools (and) churches, anywhere that people come together in large groups. That's one of the ways we have to fight this pandemic. Once it starts, there's no stopping it. We can only hope to slow it down until we get some vaccines ready." Thirty percent of the population in the county is predicted to get sick, Elliott said. "Half of those will need medical care." Some will be admitted; some will be able to be cared for at home. "A lot are going to be panicking and over flooding the medical system," he said. The county committee was being asked to decide which agency should receive the county allotment of "Thermaflu" medicine. Tentatively, the committee members chose to have area doctors receive the medicine. Elliott stressed that key county agencies must devise a plan for a possible pandemic. "We've got to get the message across…that each agency in the county…is writing a plan - not just putting a plan in their head. Agencies will be charged with preparing a COOP (a Continuity of Operations) plan. "How would you continue to operate during a pandemic? During a pandemic you can expect 40 percent of your staff to be out sick or being home taking care of somebody who is sick." Also, during a pandemic flu outbreak, there will likely be no help from outside the county like there is for a weather disaster. "They are going to be fighting the same thing," Elliott said. The State of Alabama received $1,170,933 for pandemic flu preparedness, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced Aug. 30
For more information, browse to PandemicFlu.gov on the web
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