Get powers ready, US Governors told

[Lyro]

GET POWERS READY FOR BIRD FLU: US GOVERNORS TOLD
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent (Reuters)
July 18, 2006

Washington -- Governors should make sure they have the legal powers they need to impose quarantines, close schools and keep utilities and transport running in case of a bird flu pandemic, according to new primer from the National Governor's Association published on Tuesday.

They should also be working now on clear, simple public messages about the risks of bird flu and what preparations are being made as well as stocking up on food and medical supplies, the document advises.

"Governors should consider creating a state legal team to review current laws and regulations and assess how they would be applied during a pandemic," reads the primer, posted on the Internet at www.nga.org.

"For example, decisions on closure of schools, limits on use or practices on mass transit or public transport systems, restrictions on public gatherings, etc., must be determined by state and local officials and supported by local or state policies and law."

The H5N1 avian influenza virus has not yet caused a human pandemic, but it has killed 132 people out of the 230 infected. It has infected birds in about 50 countries and is spreading faster than any other avian influenza ever has.

Many experts believe it may pose the worst threat of an influenza pandemic in 30 years.

"The effects of pandemic flu will be broad, deep and simultaneous," Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty told reporters by telephone from a National Governor's Association meeting in Charleston, South Carolina.

"Medical response will be limited, restrained and potentially depleted during a pandemic," said Pawlenty, a Republican. Outbreaks in people or birds may have to be met with "a pretty aggressive form of containment" and public gatherings eliminated.

Closed libraries
Flu is highly contagious, but the 1918 flu pandemic, in which between 40 million and 100 million people died, showed that closing big buildings may help.

"Consequently, public facilities -- schools, government offices, transportation hubs, museums, libraries, and convention centers -- would be the first considered for closing," the primer advises.

"Private facilities -- shopping malls, concert halls, skating rinks, gyms, restaurants, bars, theaters, and grocery stores -- may be closed under general emergency powers or special powers granted during times of public health emergencies."

States would also have responsibility for making sure that utilities keep running when workers stay home either because they are sick, caring for relatives, or simply afraid to come out, the governors said.

"What about the guys that go out and repair power lines? You have to think that you are going to have 40 percent absenteeism for a year or more," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, incoming chair of the Association and a Democrat.

Governors should be identifying key personnel and making sure each of them has a trained backup in case they cannot come to work, she said.

Telecommunications should be checked now, the document advises. "Many states or state agencies may find, for example, that they do not have sufficient bandwidth or server capacity to allow large-scale telecommuting of its workforce."

States should "encourage and invest in increased food storage in pantries in government facilities such as schools, prisons, cafeterias, group homes, and state institutions," the primer says. Businesses and individuals should do the same.

Source

 

[Lyro]

Get powers ready, US Governors told

GOVERNORS PRODUCE STATE BIRD FLU GUIDES
By Robert Tanner, AP National Writer
July 18. 2006

If the nation hopes to avoid the worst of a severe bird flu outbreak, states need to act now to build a network of workers, create public-private relationships and make the time to train, the nation's governors say in a new report.

The report released Tuesday by the National Governors Association aims to guide governors and other state leaders as they prepare for what could be - in the gloomiest scenario - a catastrophe that takes thousands upon thousands of lives, devastates government operations and shuts down businesses.

"Our rule of thumb here is plan for the worst and hope for the best. And the planning has to happen now," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. She and Minnesota GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty are leading the NGA's effort to get states up to speed on the potential threat.

The government and the medical community have been getting ready for bird flu, the name for the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian flu that has killed more than 100 people, mostly in Asia, to make its way to the United States.

The virus is typically spread by direct contact with contaminated birds, but scientists fear the virus will mutate and be passed person-to-person, which could lead to a pandemic.

State leaders need to revisit their laws, the report says, to make sure they have the power to quarantine populations, limit travel or restrict certain activities. They need to build relationships with private business so that essential services and goods are still available, even if nearly half the work force can't leave their homes. And they must make sure to set up a thorough communication system so that the public knows what's going on.

The 23-page guide "Preparing for a Pandemic Influenza" boils down the preparation to four areas. It says:

- States must set priorities so that essential services continue and also encourage citizens to be as self-reliant as possible.

- Since medical services will likely be overwhelmed and drugs may take months before they're available to everyone, state leaders must take firm steps to limit the spread of the disease by restricting travel and activities.

- State leaders must work closely with the private sector to set up pre-existing networks so that critical needs such as food, energy and health care are provided. Businesses must be aware that as much as 40 percent of the work force could be out sick for months.

- Thorough testing of emergency plans and responses must begin now.

States must expect to be the main coordinators of care, because the federal government will be spread too thin, Pawlenty said. "We can't look to them and them alone to be the first responder or even the main responder," he said.

"As huge as (Hurricane) Katrina was, it was a localized event," Napolitano said, so the federal government and other states were able to send help. A pandemic would likely be much broader, if not nationwide, making help from outside a state much harder to find, she said.

Source

 

[Gaby]

Re: Get powers ready, US Governors told

GOVERNORS PRODUCE GUIDE TO PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE BIRD FLU PANDEMIC

(AP) -- If the nation hopes to avoid the worst of a severe bird flu outbreak, states need to act now to build a network of workers, create public-private relationships and make the time to train, the nation's governors say in a new report.

The report released Tuesday by the National Governors Association aims to guide governors and other state leaders as they prepare for what could be -- in the gloomiest scenario -- a catastrophe that takes thousands upon thousands of lives, devastates government operations and shuts down businesses.

"Our rule of thumb here is plan for the worst and hope for the best. And the planning has to happen now," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. She and Minnesota GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty are leading the NGA's effort to get states up to speed on the potential threat.

The government and the medical community have been getting ready for bird flu, the name for the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian flu that has killed more than 100 people, mostly in Asia, to make its way to the United States.

The virus is typically spread by direct contact with contaminated birds, but scientists fear the virus will mutate and be passed person-to-person, which could lead to a pandemic.

State leaders need to revisit their laws, the report says, to make sure they have the power to quarantine populations, limit travel or restrict certain activities. They need to build relationships with private business so that essential services and goods are still available, even if nearly half the work force can't leave their homes. And they must make sure to set up a thorough communication system so that the public knows what's going on.

The 23-page guide "Preparing for a Pandemic Influenza" boils down the preparation to four areas. It says:

-- States must set priorities so that essential services continue and also encourage citizens to be as self-reliant as possible.

-- Since medical services will likely be overwhelmed and drugs may take months before they're available to everyone, state leaders must take firm steps to limit the spread of the disease by restricting travel and activities.

-- State leaders must work closely with the private sector to set up pre-existing networks so that critical needs such as food, energy and health care are provided. Businesses must be aware that as much as 40 percent of the work force could be out sick for months.

-- Thorough testing of emergency plans and responses must begin now.

States must expect to be the main coordinators of care, because the federal government will be spread too thin, Pawlenty said. "We can't look to them and them alone to be the first responder or even the main responder," he said.

"As huge as (Hurricane) Katrina was, it was a localized event," Napolitano said, so the federal government and other states were able to send help. A pandemic would likely be much broader, if not nationwide, making help from outside a state much harder to find, she said.

Source: http://www.abc15.com/news/morenews/index.asp?did=28348
Posted: 07/18/2006 14:26:20

 

[Gaby]

Re: Get powers ready, US Governors told

?AHEAD OF THE GAME?: COUNTY'S PANDEMIC FLU PREPARATIONS ON TRACK

Walker County is ?ahead of the game? in its planning to reduce the impact of a major flu outbreak, according to David Ashburn, the county?s emergency management director.

Last week, in the third meeting since its inception, the Walker County Pandemic Flu Task Force continued to address various aspects of preparing for a widespread (pandemic) wave of flu, one that experts are predicting may spread worldwide.

?Walker County has put together one of the bigger hazard mitigation (reduction) plans of anybody in the state of Georgia,? Ashburn said, adding that with the county?s emergency management plan also in place, this goes a long way toward meeting needs that could arise during a pandemic.

More than 20 members of the Task Force attended last week?s meeting at the 911 Center on U.S. 27 in Rock Spri
Denise Shahan, chairman of the health-care systems subcommittee, and Tim Reeves with Georgia Emergency Management Agency listen during last week?s meeting of the Pandemic Flu Task Force.
ng. Their representation ranged from health-care facilities, county and municipal governments and emergency management agencies to schools, businesses and the media.

Walker County pandemic flu projections, based on ?most likely? scenario for a 14-week wave
* Hospital admissions ? 293
* Peak hospital capacity needed (week 7) ? 47 percent
* Peak number of patients in intensive care units ? 10
* Peak number of patients needing ventilators ? 5
* Deaths from influenza ? 58
Source: Northwest Georgia Health District

The plan

The Task Force is divided into 12 subcommittees. The state has distributed a 134-page handbook covering pandemic flu preparations for the local task forces and divided into 12 sections for each subcommittee.

The Task Force submitted the first of four pandemic flu preparation reports, required quarterly by the state, on July 15. The next report, due in October, will require a pandemic flu drill, which Ashburn said will likely bring together several counties in the region in a theoretical ?tabletop? exercise.

Tracy Pevehouse, acting nurse manager with the Walker County Health Department, is compiling the reports. She says the top priority for the Task Force?s planning is essential treatment services like health care, but non-essential services will be important in limiting public exposure to a flu virus.

?There are non-essential services that will help keep the flu from spreading, like restaurants that can deliver food or churches that can organize at-home worship,? she said.

Flu terms defined
* Seasonal (or common) flu is a respiratory illness that can be transmitted person to person. Most people have some immunity, and a vaccine is available.
* Avian (or bird) flu is caused by influenza viruses that occur naturally among wild birds. The H5N1 variant is deadly to domestic fowl and can be transmitted from birds to humans. There is no human immunity and no vaccine is available.
* Pandemic flu is virulent human flu that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness. Because there is little natural immunity, the disease can spread easily from person to person. Currently, there is no pandemic flu.

Despite general precautions like vaccination and frequent hand washing, about 36,000 Americans die each year from seasonal flu. As this year?s flu seasons draws closer, Pevehouse said it is a good time to start educating people about the more rigorous precautions necessary for pandemic flu.

Ashburn suggested the need for periodic community awareness meetings, and the Task Force plans to have informational pamphlets ready to be distributed in time for this year?s flu season.

?We want to keep information coming out consistently so that people don?t forget,? Pevehouse said.

By the numbers, sort of

Estimates of the effects of a pandemic flu outbreak vary widely, a situation that necessitates the broad-based planning now under way.

?The key word with pandemic flu is ?uncertainty,?? said Logan Boss, public information officer for the Northwest Georgia Health District. ?We can analyze historical data and make educated projections, but in the end we just don?t know how severe it may be.?

That same uncertainty causes Boss to dismiss the notion that another pandemic is ?overdue.? He says time passed since the last pandemic isn?t an important factor compared to the fact that significant conditions for a major flu outbreak have emerged.

According to the World Health Organization, the virus of greatest concern, an avian strain designated H5N1, could cause problems if it goes through a ?re-assortment? event, in which genetic material is exchanged between human and avian viruses, causing it to become highly transmissible between humans.

On a scale of one to six the WHO rates the current pandemic threat at phase three ? ?no or very limited human-to-human transmission.?

Walker County Pandemic Flu Task Force subcommittees: Government, business, public health, transportation, media, health-care systems, schools, general public, GEMA, emergency management (county), faith-based organizations, volunteer-service organizations. The public is encouraged to participate as members of these subcommittees. For more information contact Tracy Pevehouse at the Walker County Health Department (706) 638-5577.

Source: http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_...ID=733629&CategoryID=3511&show=localnews&om=1

 

[Christian Rivers]

Re: Get powers ready, US Governors told

Walker County is leading in the right direction. The local approach with working committees provides tools for positive action, accurate risk assessments and problem solving. The report on the governor's conference is disappointing. There are numerous other government lead interventions that are undeveloped and without funding. I hope to see greater effort from the governors to support the local communities to organize and act like Walker County. Dr. Henderson from Pittsburgh UPMC Center for Biosecurity has provided data in many forums on the efficacy of cooperative efforts as opposed to authoritarian directives.
CR