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Source: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/114/story/183899.html
State, counties form defense against flu pandemic
By BEN LEACH Staff Writer, 609-272-7261
Published: Monday, June 16, 2008
Flu season is still months away, but with new cases being reported in Asia, New Jersey is not taking any chances.
Earlier this month, health officials revised the state's plan for dealing with a pandemic like the 1918 Spanish flu that killed more than 4,000 people in this state alone. The revised plan outlines 17 different scenarios of how to fight a dangerous flu virus if it began to spread in the United States.
"It's summer, so the pandemic flu isn't on the top of the list for most people right now," said Tom Slater, spokesman for the state's Department of Health and Senior Services. Regardless, the state wants to develop plans now so it is ready if disaster strikes.
The preparation is definitely warranted, since the H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in poultry in Hong Kong, and the government there announced Wednesday that it plans to kill all poultry in retail markets.
New Jersey officials work with individual counties to develop plans that account for differences in population, traffic, language and other factors.
"Chances are the first case in the United States wouldn't be in Ocean County," said Ed Rumen, risk communicator for the Ocean County Health Department. "We need to take advantage of that lag time."
Population spikes are particularly problematic in an emergency. For example, Ocean County's population during the year is usually about 560,000, but that jumps to about 1.5 million during Independence Day weekend.
Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties also have worked with the state to develop plans. It takes time to develop a vaccine, so preparation is important.
"It's more than likely there won't be any flu vaccine available for the first six months," said Patricia Diamond, director of the health office at Atlantic County's Division of Health. "So we have to educate the community regarding protection."
Education ranges from individuals to large businesses. People who get sick need to wash their hands and stay at home so they don't make their coworkers ill. Local large businesses, such as casinos and hotels, have developed large-scale plans to determine how many employees they need to keep running during an emergency and how much of a stockpile of anti-viral medication they need to distribute.
In addition to the plans, new state guidelines were put in place for Roche, a northern New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company, to work with businesses around the country to make sure that their anti-viral medication, Tamiflu, gets into the hands of everyone who needs it.
Roche said that New Jersey has placed a full order for stockpiles of Tamiflu, and with a shelf life of five years, the drug can last long enough so that stockpiles can continue to accumulate.
To e-mail Ben Leach at The Press:
BLeach@pressofac.com
TO LEARN MORE
For more information on a potential flu pandemic, visit the following Web sites:
Atlantic County
www.aclink.org/publichealth/mainpages/flu.asp
Ocean County
www.ochd.org/flu.aspx?subcat=PandFAQ
Cape May County
www.capemaycountygov.net/cit-e-access/webpage.cfm? TID=5&TPID=5800
Cumberland County
www.cshealth.org/Cumberland/
(Click on FAQ Sheets, then Influenza)
To see the state's complete Influenza Pandemic Plan, visit:
nj.gov/health/flu/panflu_plan.shtml
State, counties form defense against flu pandemic
By BEN LEACH Staff Writer, 609-272-7261
Published: Monday, June 16, 2008
Flu season is still months away, but with new cases being reported in Asia, New Jersey is not taking any chances.
Earlier this month, health officials revised the state's plan for dealing with a pandemic like the 1918 Spanish flu that killed more than 4,000 people in this state alone. The revised plan outlines 17 different scenarios of how to fight a dangerous flu virus if it began to spread in the United States.
"It's summer, so the pandemic flu isn't on the top of the list for most people right now," said Tom Slater, spokesman for the state's Department of Health and Senior Services. Regardless, the state wants to develop plans now so it is ready if disaster strikes.
The preparation is definitely warranted, since the H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in poultry in Hong Kong, and the government there announced Wednesday that it plans to kill all poultry in retail markets.
New Jersey officials work with individual counties to develop plans that account for differences in population, traffic, language and other factors.
"Chances are the first case in the United States wouldn't be in Ocean County," said Ed Rumen, risk communicator for the Ocean County Health Department. "We need to take advantage of that lag time."
Population spikes are particularly problematic in an emergency. For example, Ocean County's population during the year is usually about 560,000, but that jumps to about 1.5 million during Independence Day weekend.
Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties also have worked with the state to develop plans. It takes time to develop a vaccine, so preparation is important.
"It's more than likely there won't be any flu vaccine available for the first six months," said Patricia Diamond, director of the health office at Atlantic County's Division of Health. "So we have to educate the community regarding protection."
Education ranges from individuals to large businesses. People who get sick need to wash their hands and stay at home so they don't make their coworkers ill. Local large businesses, such as casinos and hotels, have developed large-scale plans to determine how many employees they need to keep running during an emergency and how much of a stockpile of anti-viral medication they need to distribute.
In addition to the plans, new state guidelines were put in place for Roche, a northern New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company, to work with businesses around the country to make sure that their anti-viral medication, Tamiflu, gets into the hands of everyone who needs it.
Roche said that New Jersey has placed a full order for stockpiles of Tamiflu, and with a shelf life of five years, the drug can last long enough so that stockpiles can continue to accumulate.
To e-mail Ben Leach at The Press:
BLeach@pressofac.com
TO LEARN MORE
For more information on a potential flu pandemic, visit the following Web sites:
Atlantic County
www.aclink.org/publichealth/mainpages/flu.asp
Ocean County
www.ochd.org/flu.aspx?subcat=PandFAQ
Cape May County
www.capemaycountygov.net/cit-e-access/webpage.cfm? TID=5&TPID=5800
Cumberland County
www.cshealth.org/Cumberland/
(Click on FAQ Sheets, then Influenza)
To see the state's complete Influenza Pandemic Plan, visit:
nj.gov/health/flu/panflu_plan.shtml