Treyfish
Moderator
Flu patrol
<!-- BEGIN bodyStoryByline -->By AARON MARTIN/Staff Reporter
<!-- END bodyStoryByline --><!-- BEGIN bodyStoryEmail -->amartin@capitalnewspapers.com
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<!-- BEGIN sidebar_image_credit -->Citizen Staff/Aaron Martin
<!-- END sidebar_image_credit --><!-- BEGIN sidebar_image_caption -->Russell Kottke, chairperson for the Dodge County Board of Supervisors, works with a team to compile a list during a Community Containment Pandemic Forum held Wednesday in Juneau. Attendees were briefed on influenza pandemics and worked through exercises to strengthen local response efforts in the event of an outbreak.
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JUNEAU ? A term has been coined for those who wash their hands often or refuse to take a drink from someone else's water bottle.
Germaphobes.
But that extra-cautious behavior is the first line of defense in preventing a potentially devastating influenza pandemic. A typical strain of influenza may rob its victims of paid sick days and confine them to their couches, but a pandemic can rob its victims of far more.
Dozens of police, fire, EMS, county, school, private business and faith-based officials attended a community containment forum Wednesday at the Juneau Community Center. Attendees were briefed on flu pandemics and worked through a variety of exercises to increase awareness and response capabilities in the event of an outbreak. The forum was funded by the Department of Public Health.
A pandemic influenza is defined as a global outbreak of a new influenza virus that the population has little immunity against and no antidote to cure. That scenario may sound more like the plot of a horror movie than a public concern, but modern history proves that mass contamination has a tendency to rear its ugly head at regular intervals.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), flu pandemics occur about three times every 100 years. And in the past 120 years five flu pandemics have killed millions of people: A pandemic killed four million people in 1957, and a more devastating Spanish flu killed 20 to 25 million people in 1918.
Dodge County Medical Examiner P.J. Schoebel said that based on CDC estimates a flu-related pandemic could claim 30 to 40 lives within the county in an eight-week period. The Department of Public Health and county agencies are mindful of such projections and think far beyond the hand-washing line of defense.
"In public health there's a ton of money coming down because there is a significant threat that something will happen. We've got the bird flu going on overseas right now, and we're constantly on alert for it. And we've got to be prepared for it. We don't want to be in the dark if something like that happens," said Joe Meagher, director of Dodge County Emergency Management.
The forum was led by Adam Huebner, Dodge and Jefferson county preparedness coordinator. Huebner's position is financed entirely by Public Health funding and he said such forums bring forth invaluable information for preparing for and preventing pandemics.
"We're basically coming together to try to discuss some ideas, areas of need and areas of improvement for community containment. If we have a communicable disease, possibly a pandemic, what actions we can take as far as isolation, quarantine, social distancing, closing of schools, closing of shopping malls, to help slow or prevent the spread of disease," Huebner said.
The Public Health Department suggests a multi-layered response to prevent and reduce the rapid spread of pandemics. Those already infected may be isolated from the general public, and those who have been exposed to the strain could be quarantined. School cancellations and business closing may also be employed.
"We're discussing how we go about business closings, school closings and other social closings; what's involved in that, who has the power to make those decisions and how we enforce those decisions," Huebner said.
And as in all emergency situations, communication remained a priority of the forum. In the event of a pandemic an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) would be established as a meeting point for agencies and organizations to coordinate response and recovery actions ? and attendees hammered out logistical details of an EOC.
"Where we would set up an EOC, how we go about doing that, who to send to that and how to communicate from organizations to the EOC are all very important. (The EOC) is the focal point for response and recovery for a disaster or emergency like this," Huebner said.
And the lessons learned from the Community Containment Forum stretch beyond just pandemic preparedness. The same EOC communications hierarchy would be used to coordinate a county-wide response to a variety of disasters.
"We use (the forum) as an opportunity to discuss an all-hazards approach ... some of these things will come into play regardless of what the disaster is," Huebner said.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the following checklist will leave you prepared for an influenza pandemic:
-Store a two-week supply of water and food.
-Periodically check your regular prescription drugs to ensure a continuous supply is in your home.
-Have non-prescription drugs and other health supplies on hand.
-Make sure to plan for medical requirements of family members and loved ones. -Volunteer with local groups to prepare and assist with emergency response.:tiphat: http://www.wiscnews.com/bdc/news/254015
<!-- BEGIN bodyStoryByline -->By AARON MARTIN/Staff Reporter
<!-- END bodyStoryByline --><!-- BEGIN bodyStoryEmail -->amartin@capitalnewspapers.com
<!-- END bodyStoryEmail -->
<!-- BEGIN story --><!-- BEGIN img and sidebar area --><!-- BEGIN img --><!-- !!!!! This image should NOT exceed the 164pix width -->
<!-- BEGIN sidebar_image_credit -->Citizen Staff/Aaron Martin<!-- END sidebar_image_credit --><!-- BEGIN sidebar_image_caption -->Russell Kottke, chairperson for the Dodge County Board of Supervisors, works with a team to compile a list during a Community Containment Pandemic Forum held Wednesday in Juneau. Attendees were briefed on influenza pandemics and worked through exercises to strengthen local response efforts in the event of an outbreak.
<!-- END sidebar_image_caption -->
<!-- END img -->
<!-- END img and sidebar area --><!-- BEGIN story --><!--
-->
JUNEAU ? A term has been coined for those who wash their hands often or refuse to take a drink from someone else's water bottle.
Germaphobes.
But that extra-cautious behavior is the first line of defense in preventing a potentially devastating influenza pandemic. A typical strain of influenza may rob its victims of paid sick days and confine them to their couches, but a pandemic can rob its victims of far more.
Dozens of police, fire, EMS, county, school, private business and faith-based officials attended a community containment forum Wednesday at the Juneau Community Center. Attendees were briefed on flu pandemics and worked through a variety of exercises to increase awareness and response capabilities in the event of an outbreak. The forum was funded by the Department of Public Health.
A pandemic influenza is defined as a global outbreak of a new influenza virus that the population has little immunity against and no antidote to cure. That scenario may sound more like the plot of a horror movie than a public concern, but modern history proves that mass contamination has a tendency to rear its ugly head at regular intervals.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), flu pandemics occur about three times every 100 years. And in the past 120 years five flu pandemics have killed millions of people: A pandemic killed four million people in 1957, and a more devastating Spanish flu killed 20 to 25 million people in 1918.
Dodge County Medical Examiner P.J. Schoebel said that based on CDC estimates a flu-related pandemic could claim 30 to 40 lives within the county in an eight-week period. The Department of Public Health and county agencies are mindful of such projections and think far beyond the hand-washing line of defense.
"In public health there's a ton of money coming down because there is a significant threat that something will happen. We've got the bird flu going on overseas right now, and we're constantly on alert for it. And we've got to be prepared for it. We don't want to be in the dark if something like that happens," said Joe Meagher, director of Dodge County Emergency Management.
The forum was led by Adam Huebner, Dodge and Jefferson county preparedness coordinator. Huebner's position is financed entirely by Public Health funding and he said such forums bring forth invaluable information for preparing for and preventing pandemics.
"We're basically coming together to try to discuss some ideas, areas of need and areas of improvement for community containment. If we have a communicable disease, possibly a pandemic, what actions we can take as far as isolation, quarantine, social distancing, closing of schools, closing of shopping malls, to help slow or prevent the spread of disease," Huebner said.
The Public Health Department suggests a multi-layered response to prevent and reduce the rapid spread of pandemics. Those already infected may be isolated from the general public, and those who have been exposed to the strain could be quarantined. School cancellations and business closing may also be employed.
"We're discussing how we go about business closings, school closings and other social closings; what's involved in that, who has the power to make those decisions and how we enforce those decisions," Huebner said.
And as in all emergency situations, communication remained a priority of the forum. In the event of a pandemic an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) would be established as a meeting point for agencies and organizations to coordinate response and recovery actions ? and attendees hammered out logistical details of an EOC.
"Where we would set up an EOC, how we go about doing that, who to send to that and how to communicate from organizations to the EOC are all very important. (The EOC) is the focal point for response and recovery for a disaster or emergency like this," Huebner said.
And the lessons learned from the Community Containment Forum stretch beyond just pandemic preparedness. The same EOC communications hierarchy would be used to coordinate a county-wide response to a variety of disasters.
"We use (the forum) as an opportunity to discuss an all-hazards approach ... some of these things will come into play regardless of what the disaster is," Huebner said.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the following checklist will leave you prepared for an influenza pandemic:
-Store a two-week supply of water and food.
-Periodically check your regular prescription drugs to ensure a continuous supply is in your home.
-Have non-prescription drugs and other health supplies on hand.
-Make sure to plan for medical requirements of family members and loved ones. -Volunteer with local groups to prepare and assist with emergency response.:tiphat: http://www.wiscnews.com/bdc/news/254015