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Report Anticipates Bird Flu's Toll On Fairfax
RSS Feeds From ABC 7 Saturday September 16, 2006 12:57pm
Fairfax, Va. (AP) - A new report says a severe outbreak of bird flu would infect nearly a third of Fairfax County (website - news) 's population, killing almost 700 people.
Emergency management officials say Fairfax is the Washington area's first local government to issue a comprehensive report on pandemic flu preparations.
According to the 112-page report, as much as 40 percent of the county's work force would be out of commission. And hospitals, nursing homes and other makeshift medical centers would have to set up temporary morgues and stockpile body bags to handle the deaths.
In response to an outbreak, the Fairfax County would track individual infections through reporting by local doctors and hospitals. Sites also would be set up across the county to distribute a potential vaccine or medicine, and sick people could be forced into quarantine.