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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=NewsDetailsTitle>New flu strain could kill 650,000 -- report </TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=NewsDetailsCategory>Politics 8/30/2007 5:12:00 PM</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=ArticleDetails><TABLE class=ImageFloat cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=pictureCaption id=tdCaption align=middle width=180></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>LONDON, Aug 30 (KUNA) -- Up to 650,000 people could die in England and Wales in the event of a flu pandemic, an official report warned Thursday.
The British Home Office document outlined plans for dealing with an outbreak, including the possibility of mass burials and storing dead bodies in refrigerated trailers.
Processes for dealing with mass casualties were likely to be overwhelmed at the height of a pandemic, with up to 22 percent extra deaths at its height, said the report.
Its plans would apply if a new strain of "ordinary" flu emerged, or if avian flu became easily transmitted from birds to humans.
Officials projected between 48,000 and 650,000 deaths depending on a "base" case scenario and a "worst" case scenario.
Even the prudent projections involved 320,000 mortalities from a human flu pandemic.
"Cemetery managers are likely to want to move to provision of common graves, which would allow interments to be undertaken more quickly", the report added.
Hospitals and local authorities would draw up plans for extra mortuaries, using tent-like structures, standard refrigerated containers or other temporary buildings.
The report also raised the prospect of granting nurses the power to sign death certificates, as well as retired doctors.
The document, entitled "Planning For A Possible Influenza Epidemic", is intended to help a range of agencies improve their preparations for an outbreak, and is open for consultation until the end of November.
A separate UK Department of Health report published last March predicted up to 750,000 deaths across the UK in a flu pandemic.
Pandemic flu last occurred in 1968-69, when so-called "Hong Kong" flu killed an estimated one million worldwide, 30,000 of those in the UK. (end) he.tg KUNA 301712 Aug 07NNNN :tiphat: </TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD height=0>http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1837838&Language=en</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The British Home Office document outlined plans for dealing with an outbreak, including the possibility of mass burials and storing dead bodies in refrigerated trailers.
Processes for dealing with mass casualties were likely to be overwhelmed at the height of a pandemic, with up to 22 percent extra deaths at its height, said the report.
Its plans would apply if a new strain of "ordinary" flu emerged, or if avian flu became easily transmitted from birds to humans.
Officials projected between 48,000 and 650,000 deaths depending on a "base" case scenario and a "worst" case scenario.
Even the prudent projections involved 320,000 mortalities from a human flu pandemic.
"Cemetery managers are likely to want to move to provision of common graves, which would allow interments to be undertaken more quickly", the report added.
Hospitals and local authorities would draw up plans for extra mortuaries, using tent-like structures, standard refrigerated containers or other temporary buildings.
The report also raised the prospect of granting nurses the power to sign death certificates, as well as retired doctors.
The document, entitled "Planning For A Possible Influenza Epidemic", is intended to help a range of agencies improve their preparations for an outbreak, and is open for consultation until the end of November.
A separate UK Department of Health report published last March predicted up to 750,000 deaths across the UK in a flu pandemic.
Pandemic flu last occurred in 1968-69, when so-called "Hong Kong" flu killed an estimated one million worldwide, 30,000 of those in the UK. (end) he.tg KUNA 301712 Aug 07NNNN :tiphat: </TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD height=0>http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1837838&Language=en</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
