AFD - CIDRAP Resources

[sharon sanders]

October 6, 2008

CIDRAP Pandemic Influenza Overview



# 2365



CIDRAP (Center For Infectious Disease Research & Policy), at the University of Minnesota, maintains one of the best infectious disease resources anywhere on the planet.

I should know. I `borrow' from their extensive knowledge base practically every day. Why, if it weren't for CIDRAP and Google, I'd probably be out of business as a blogger.


CIDRAP has maintained several living documents, basically overviews of what we know about bird flu and pandemic influenza, for several years. They update them every few months, and I refer to them often when I am blogging.


If you desire a one-stop-shopping knowledge base on bird flu and pandemic influenza, look no further.


The Pandemic Influenza overview was updated last week, while the two avian flu resources were last updated in August.


Below are the tables of contents for the three overviews, with embedded links.



Pandemic Influenza

Last updated October 3, 2008
Agent
Laboratory Testing for Influenza
General Considerations
Historical Perspective
Pandemics of the 20th Century
Lessons From Past Pandemics
The Pandemic Severity Index
The Current H5N1 Threat
Vaccine Development
Use of Antiviral Agents
Community Mitigation Strategies
Pandemic Preparedness Planning
Hospital Pandemic Preparedness Planning
Infection Control Considerations
References



Avian Influenza (Bird Flu): Agricultural and Wildlife Considerations

Last updated August 21, 2008
Definition of Avian Influenza
Agent
Hosts
Transmission
Key Outbreaks of HPAI in Domestic Avian Populations
Current Status of H5N1 in Asia, Europe, and Africa
Surveillance for H5N1 in the United States
HPAI As a Biological Weapon
Clinical Features in Domestic Birds
Necropsy Lesions
Differential Diagnosis in Birds
Laboratory Diagnosis in Birds
Treatment
Prevention
Outbreak Control in Poultry
References




Avian Influenza (Bird Flu): Implications for Human Disease


Last updated August 28, 2008
Agent
Laboratory Testing for Avian Influenza in Humans
Summary of Avian Influenza in Humans
The Current Outbreak of H5N1 in Birds and Other Animals
H5N1 in Humans: Epidemiologic Features
H5N1 in Humans: Clinical Features
Treatment and Prophylaxis
Current Status of H5N1 Candidate Vaccines
Current WHO and CDC Travel Recommendations


Use of Seasonal Flu Vaccine in Humans at Risk for H5N1 Infection
Surveillance Considerations
Influenza Pandemic Considerations
Infection Control Recommendations
Guidance to Protect Workers from Avian Influenza Viruses
Food Safety Issues
References

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - CIDRAP Resources

CIDRAP: Promising Practices For Pandemic Planning



# 3417


CIDRAP?s (Center For Infectious Disease Research and Policy) Promising Practices website is chock full of important information on dealing with a pandemic, and highlights programs designed to do just that from all over the country.

In the past I?ve highlighted several of their practices, including:


Promising Practices: Neighborhood Emergency Teams

Promising Practices: Psychological First Aid


But these just barely scratch the surface of the 185 practices collected on this site. You could spend days gleaning good information off this site (and probably should).

Tonight CIDRAP brings us a promising practices article on a familiar theme to those who visit flu blogs, and flu forums: the need for personal and community preparedness.

I?ve only printed the opening paragraphs, follow the link to read it in its entirety.

PROMISING PRACTICES FOR PANDEMIC PLANNING
Experts stress need for personal, community preparedness

Ayisha Yahya

Staff Writer
Editor's Note: CIDRAP's Promising Practices: Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Tools (www.pandemicpractices.org) online database showcases peer-reviewed practices, including useful tools to help others with their planning. This article is one of a series exploring the development of these practices. We hope that describing the process and context of these practices enhances pandemic planning.


Jun 30, 2009 (CIDRAP News) ? If you don't have an emergency preparedness plan for yourself, your family, and even your community, now is a good time to make one. That's the message public health officials are sending as cases of the novel H1N1 influenza virus continue to rise nationally and globally.

"If you don't have a plan, you need one now," said Roger Pollok, special projects manager for Emergency Preparedness at the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District in Texas. "The stakes are a little different now."

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the current outbreak a pandemic on Jun 11. "We are in the earliest days of the pandemic," said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan that day in a statement to the press. "The virus is spreading under a close and careful watch."

Health experts say there is no way to predict what is still in store, but they have concerns that the coming fall flu season might bring a second wave of illnesses, potentially more severe.

(Continue . . .)
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[Possibilities]

Re: AFD - CIDRAP Resources

Here's the direct link to the Neighborhood Emergency Team pdf:
http://cidrappractices.org/files/344/344_guidebook.pdf

I have also included the file as an attachment.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: AFD - CIDRAP Resources

CIDRAP On Business?s Biggest Concern



# 3773

The CIDRAP H1N1 summit this past week was a fascinating experience.

One that was a genuine thrill to be a part of.

It brought together representatives from the government, Business & Industry, Health Care, and the media over 2 days, where we discussed hundreds of pandemic problems and possible solutions.

For businesses of all types, the biggest concern was the toll that employee absenteeism would have on their operations.
​

During the plenary sessions (attended by all), each table was provided with remote control voting devices for each person, which enabled us to take part in live polling.

Robert Roos of CIDRAP News brings us some of the results of that polling.

Biggest pandemic worry for business: absenteeism


Robert Roos

News Editor
Sep 25, 2009 (CIDRAP News) ? Business officials who attended a conference this week on how the business world can cope with the H1N1 influenza pandemic said employee absenteeism was far and away their leading concern.

In live polling conducted during a conference plenary session, 81% of the attendees said their greatest concern about the pandemic was absenteeism. Only 13% said they were most worried about disruption of critical supply chains.

The conference drew around 300 people to downtown Minneapolis this week. It was hosted by the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), publisher of CIDRAP News.

About a third of the attendees were from the healthcare and pharmaceuticals sector, while 22% were in manufacturing, 14% in government, and 5% in financial services, according to a poll at the opening session.

While companies voiced concern about absenteeism, there was little agreement about just how much to expect. In a Wednesday morning poll, 21% of respondents said they expect peak absenteeism of 21% to 30%, while 12% expected a rate of 31% to 40%. Eighteen percent expected absenteeism to be less than 21%, while 36% percent declined to specify a range.
(Continue . . . )
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