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Source: http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_12318128
Flu outbreak reveals gaps in readiness, House panel told
By Theresa Harrington
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 05/07/2009 01:21:42 PM PDT
Updated: 05/08/2009 05:48:08 AM PDT
The swine flu outbreak revealed gaps in pandemic preparedness, including inconsistent regulations and response practices, witnesses told a House committee Thursday.
"We discovered that we did not have a system in place to track and report the individual schools that had been ordered to dismiss students due to H1N1," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said during an Education and Labor Committee hearing about pandemic readiness in schools and work places. "Another issue that certainly needs addressing in order to improve our response to such outbreaks is school nurses."
O'Connell said the federal government can help states acquire better reporting systems and relieve the shortage of school nurses.
California is working with county offices of education to track students, he said, but noted that the state's student-to-nurse ratio ? 2,227 students per nurse ? is the nation's highest.
A Los Angeles nurse said comprehensive standards are needed for health emergencies.
For instance, said Miguel Garcia, surgical masks do not prevent the inhalation of small particles, but respirators are effective because they seal tightly around the face.
"We need OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to move as quickly as possible to issue a comprehensive, mandatory standard for airborne diseases," Garcia said.
Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, who chaired the committee, said some parents struggled to find child care when schools closed. Some workers, he added, might be reluctant to stay home, if their employers do not provide sick leave.
"In the communities we represent," he said, "you see a lot of conflicts."
Representatives from the government and business agencies said pandemic plans put in place in 2006 to respond to the avian flu provided guidelines that helped communities deal with the swine flu virus. However, they said they would continue working to better coordinate responses.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that a more powerful strain of the virus could emerge in the fall. Although the seasonal flu kills about 36,000 American each year, pandemic influenza has the potential to kill more, she said.
"A pandemic is defined by a strain that is able to cause severe disease in people, is totally new and easily transmitted," she said.
Some committee members worried that the public was unduly alarmed about the severity of the swine flu virus, but panelists agreed that precautionary measures were warranted. Schuchat said federal agencies issued guidelines and relied on local decision-makers to determine whether schools or businesses should close.
"Especially in this economy," Miller said, "it's critical to ensure that when an outbreak hits, students can keep learning and businesses and workers can continue to help move our economy forward."
Reach Theresa Harrington at 925-945-4764 or tharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com.
A Webcast of the hearing is at edlabor.house.gov/hearings/2009/05/ensuring-preparedness-against.shtml.
Flu outbreak reveals gaps in readiness, House panel told
By Theresa Harrington
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 05/07/2009 01:21:42 PM PDT
Updated: 05/08/2009 05:48:08 AM PDT
The swine flu outbreak revealed gaps in pandemic preparedness, including inconsistent regulations and response practices, witnesses told a House committee Thursday.
"We discovered that we did not have a system in place to track and report the individual schools that had been ordered to dismiss students due to H1N1," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said during an Education and Labor Committee hearing about pandemic readiness in schools and work places. "Another issue that certainly needs addressing in order to improve our response to such outbreaks is school nurses."
O'Connell said the federal government can help states acquire better reporting systems and relieve the shortage of school nurses.
California is working with county offices of education to track students, he said, but noted that the state's student-to-nurse ratio ? 2,227 students per nurse ? is the nation's highest.
A Los Angeles nurse said comprehensive standards are needed for health emergencies.
For instance, said Miguel Garcia, surgical masks do not prevent the inhalation of small particles, but respirators are effective because they seal tightly around the face.
"We need OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to move as quickly as possible to issue a comprehensive, mandatory standard for airborne diseases," Garcia said.
Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, who chaired the committee, said some parents struggled to find child care when schools closed. Some workers, he added, might be reluctant to stay home, if their employers do not provide sick leave.
"In the communities we represent," he said, "you see a lot of conflicts."
Representatives from the government and business agencies said pandemic plans put in place in 2006 to respond to the avian flu provided guidelines that helped communities deal with the swine flu virus. However, they said they would continue working to better coordinate responses.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned that a more powerful strain of the virus could emerge in the fall. Although the seasonal flu kills about 36,000 American each year, pandemic influenza has the potential to kill more, she said.
"A pandemic is defined by a strain that is able to cause severe disease in people, is totally new and easily transmitted," she said.
Some committee members worried that the public was unduly alarmed about the severity of the swine flu virus, but panelists agreed that precautionary measures were warranted. Schuchat said federal agencies issued guidelines and relied on local decision-makers to determine whether schools or businesses should close.
"Especially in this economy," Miller said, "it's critical to ensure that when an outbreak hits, students can keep learning and businesses and workers can continue to help move our economy forward."
Reach Theresa Harrington at 925-945-4764 or tharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com.
A Webcast of the hearing is at edlabor.house.gov/hearings/2009/05/ensuring-preparedness-against.shtml.