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CONFERENCE TO HELP BUSINESS PREPARE FOR BIRD FLU
By Regina McEnery (Plain Dealer Reporter)
August 27, 2006
Washing your hands or staying out of the office may sound like simple ways to combat deadly bird flu.
But if the H5N1 strain ever develops legs, as many health experts fear, common-sense measures could prove to be the most useful short-term strategy in controlling the spread of the disease.
"There won't be enough vaccine and there probably won't be enough antiviral drugs if a pandemic begins anytime soon," said Dr. David Bell, a senior influenza adviser with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "But we have some reason for optimism here."
At an influenza conference in Cleveland on Tuesday, Bell will describe tools and strategies that communities should use, starting with basic hygiene. The conference also includes speakers from major local hospitals, the Cuyahoga County and Cleveland health departments, Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and lawyers. The conference is primarily geared for local businesses as they begin to develop influenza response plans, said Cuyahoga County Health Commissioner Terry Allan.
Because children are considered to shed viruses at higher levels than adults, schools will need to shut down if cases erupt, Bell said. Businesses, too, will need to curtail their work force temporarily. And large public gatherings will probably need to be canceled.
The dilemma for communities is when to do it and for how long. Health experts say that if a bird flu strain was to hit the human population, it could be as deadly as the 1918 Spanish flu, moving through cities so rapidly that hospitals could quickly be overrun with sick and dying patients.
While data are sparse on whether any of the prevention strategies being considered today were effective in saving lives nearly a century ago, historical records suggest that timing was key in cutting infection rates in some communities. "The death rates in American cities during the 1918 Spanish flu varied," said Bell. "The city with the highest death rate was Philadelphia and the lowest was St. Louis."
The reason for the differences in mortality rates is unclear, although some scientists believe the virus weakened over time. But it could have been because of how the cities applied some of these simple prevention strategies, Bell said.
Source
By Regina McEnery (Plain Dealer Reporter)
August 27, 2006
Washing your hands or staying out of the office may sound like simple ways to combat deadly bird flu.
But if the H5N1 strain ever develops legs, as many health experts fear, common-sense measures could prove to be the most useful short-term strategy in controlling the spread of the disease.
"There won't be enough vaccine and there probably won't be enough antiviral drugs if a pandemic begins anytime soon," said Dr. David Bell, a senior influenza adviser with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "But we have some reason for optimism here."
At an influenza conference in Cleveland on Tuesday, Bell will describe tools and strategies that communities should use, starting with basic hygiene. The conference also includes speakers from major local hospitals, the Cuyahoga County and Cleveland health departments, Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and lawyers. The conference is primarily geared for local businesses as they begin to develop influenza response plans, said Cuyahoga County Health Commissioner Terry Allan.
Because children are considered to shed viruses at higher levels than adults, schools will need to shut down if cases erupt, Bell said. Businesses, too, will need to curtail their work force temporarily. And large public gatherings will probably need to be canceled.
The dilemma for communities is when to do it and for how long. Health experts say that if a bird flu strain was to hit the human population, it could be as deadly as the 1918 Spanish flu, moving through cities so rapidly that hospitals could quickly be overrun with sick and dying patients.
While data are sparse on whether any of the prevention strategies being considered today were effective in saving lives nearly a century ago, historical records suggest that timing was key in cutting infection rates in some communities. "The death rates in American cities during the 1918 Spanish flu varied," said Bell. "The city with the highest death rate was Philadelphia and the lowest was St. Louis."
The reason for the differences in mortality rates is unclear, although some scientists believe the virus weakened over time. But it could have been because of how the cities applied some of these simple prevention strategies, Bell said.
Source