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Maumee officials practice reaction to bird flu
60 discuss methods to control pandemic
By JULIE M. McKINNON
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Lucas County?s death toll from bird flu reached 1,300 people yesterday at St. Luke?s Hospital in Maumee ? at least on paper.
To practice how emergency medical personnel, police, hospital, public health, the city, schools, businesses, and others would react to bird flu in Maumee, more than 60 officials gathered in St. Luke?s auditorium to discuss ways to contain a pandemic.
The final scenario resulted in 50 deaths a day in Lucas County, or 1,300 in five weeks, with nearly 50,000 people sickened by bird flu.
Preparation, not panic, is critical in dealing with a potential outbreak, said Dr. Donna Woodson, the president of the Toledo-Lucas County Board of Health.
People are not as afraid of bird flu as they were a few years ago, when they questioned whether they should risk even cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving, but they should remain vigilant, she said.
?Sometimes we become a bit complacent about what might happen to us, and that?s a danger,? Dr. Woodson said.
She added: ?If we?re prepared for a pandemic of bird flu, then we are also getting prepared for other diseases that may occur.?
There have been about 320 human cases of bird flu worldwide, with nearly two thirds resulting in death, according to World Health Organization statistics.
The biggest pandemic in the last century was the Spanish flu in 1918 and 1919, which killed about 15,000 Ohioans and at least 20 million people worldwide.
Dr. Woodson and other public health officials said Maumee is further along with pandemic flu planning than most other communities and could serve as a role model for others nationwide.
Bird flu, or H5N1 influenza virus, could mutate and quickly spread from human to human, said Dr. David Grossman, the health department commissioner.
?I think pandemic flu can happen anywhere and, by the very definition, if it happens, it can spread,? he said.
Not only does Maumee?s plan address bird flu, but it could be used to handle natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other crises, Maumee Mayor Tim Wagener said.
?We?ve been dealing with this issue in the forefront for well over a year now,? he said. ?Hopefully, bird flu will not be anything we have to deal with.?
During the exercise, participants discussed how they would handle shutting down schools for months, surging patient admissions at St. Luke?s, lowered staffing levels at businesses like The Andersons, electricity brownouts because of employee absenteeism, and other situations in hopes of containing and reacting to bird flu?s spread.
Increased use of teleconferencing, voluntary home quarantines, and avoidance of overseas trips were some suggested tactics.
60 discuss methods to control pandemic
By JULIE M. McKINNON
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Lucas County?s death toll from bird flu reached 1,300 people yesterday at St. Luke?s Hospital in Maumee ? at least on paper.
To practice how emergency medical personnel, police, hospital, public health, the city, schools, businesses, and others would react to bird flu in Maumee, more than 60 officials gathered in St. Luke?s auditorium to discuss ways to contain a pandemic.
The final scenario resulted in 50 deaths a day in Lucas County, or 1,300 in five weeks, with nearly 50,000 people sickened by bird flu.
Preparation, not panic, is critical in dealing with a potential outbreak, said Dr. Donna Woodson, the president of the Toledo-Lucas County Board of Health.
People are not as afraid of bird flu as they were a few years ago, when they questioned whether they should risk even cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving, but they should remain vigilant, she said.
?Sometimes we become a bit complacent about what might happen to us, and that?s a danger,? Dr. Woodson said.
She added: ?If we?re prepared for a pandemic of bird flu, then we are also getting prepared for other diseases that may occur.?
There have been about 320 human cases of bird flu worldwide, with nearly two thirds resulting in death, according to World Health Organization statistics.
The biggest pandemic in the last century was the Spanish flu in 1918 and 1919, which killed about 15,000 Ohioans and at least 20 million people worldwide.
Dr. Woodson and other public health officials said Maumee is further along with pandemic flu planning than most other communities and could serve as a role model for others nationwide.
Bird flu, or H5N1 influenza virus, could mutate and quickly spread from human to human, said Dr. David Grossman, the health department commissioner.
?I think pandemic flu can happen anywhere and, by the very definition, if it happens, it can spread,? he said.
Not only does Maumee?s plan address bird flu, but it could be used to handle natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other crises, Maumee Mayor Tim Wagener said.
?We?ve been dealing with this issue in the forefront for well over a year now,? he said. ?Hopefully, bird flu will not be anything we have to deal with.?
During the exercise, participants discussed how they would handle shutting down schools for months, surging patient admissions at St. Luke?s, lowered staffing levels at businesses like The Andersons, electricity brownouts because of employee absenteeism, and other situations in hopes of containing and reacting to bird flu?s spread.
Increased use of teleconferencing, voluntary home quarantines, and avoidance of overseas trips were some suggested tactics.