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Emergency Managers Getting Ready for Bird Flu in NW Ohio
April 25, 2006 08:03 AM EDT
WOOD COUNTY -- The bird flu seems to many like a problem that doesn't exist on this side of the world, but now northwest Ohio safety officials are preparing, just in case.
The deadly strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus has spread through Asia and has now infected birds in Africa and Europe. So far the virus appears to spread primarily through bird-to-bird contact. 118 people have gotten sick, and 61 others have died, but most got the virus from close contact with birds. There's no indication at this point that the virus can spread from human-to-human.
But despite the remote possibility of the virus spreading here, some groups are already preparing, just in case. Eric Larson is the Emergency Management Director in Wood County. He met with the Rossford Board of Education Monday night to talk about what happens if the virus migrates across the Atlantic to here.
"If it should happen we want to be prepared, we want to know which -- the state, local or national government -- where will we get our direction," said Luci Gernot, Rossford's Superintendent of Schools. "Right now we need to get out to smaller groups like this, get them to understand the importance of doing a collaborative planning process," said Larson.
At this point the questions are almost endless for local safety officials. "Hospitals, a lot of them, are at capacity. They have limited staffing. How do we address all of those issues?" said Larson. "If we do vaccinations clinics, how do we have people do the clerical work?"
Count on News 11 to follow this story as it develops.
Emergency Managers Getting Ready for Bird Flu in NW Ohio
April 25, 2006 08:03 AM EDT
WOOD COUNTY -- The bird flu seems to many like a problem that doesn't exist on this side of the world, but now northwest Ohio safety officials are preparing, just in case.
The deadly strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus has spread through Asia and has now infected birds in Africa and Europe. So far the virus appears to spread primarily through bird-to-bird contact. 118 people have gotten sick, and 61 others have died, but most got the virus from close contact with birds. There's no indication at this point that the virus can spread from human-to-human.
But despite the remote possibility of the virus spreading here, some groups are already preparing, just in case. Eric Larson is the Emergency Management Director in Wood County. He met with the Rossford Board of Education Monday night to talk about what happens if the virus migrates across the Atlantic to here.
"If it should happen we want to be prepared, we want to know which -- the state, local or national government -- where will we get our direction," said Luci Gernot, Rossford's Superintendent of Schools. "Right now we need to get out to smaller groups like this, get them to understand the importance of doing a collaborative planning process," said Larson.
At this point the questions are almost endless for local safety officials. "Hospitals, a lot of them, are at capacity. They have limited staffing. How do we address all of those issues?" said Larson. "If we do vaccinations clinics, how do we have people do the clerical work?"
Count on News 11 to follow this story as it develops.