Wednesday, August 19, 2009, 2:32pm EDT
Swine flu prep ramps up in Maryland, across the country
Baltimore Business Journal - by Julekha Dash Staff
Maryland will receive its supply of vaccines to treat the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, by October, the state?s health department said Wednesday.
The state is also communicating with hospitals, community health organizations and schools to determine how and when they can get their vaccines, said David Paulson, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The state has asked doctors to register on its Web site to receive the vaccine directly from shipping distributors, Paulson said.
Vaccines to treat swine flu are currently under clinical trials. The University of Maryland School of Medicine, Emory University, Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions are participating in a nationwide network of vaccine evaluation teams funded by the National Institutes of Health. Once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the company, Maryland biotech company MedImmune will manufacture the vaccine for Maryland residents.
The virus has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization and has resulted in six deaths in Maryland.
The state is making its preparations just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new federal guidelines Wednesday to help employers prep for the flu season ? both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 variety.
Employers should encourage employees with flu-like symptoms or illness to stay home and possibly have those at higher risk of serious medical complications from infection work from home, according to the guidance. In preparation for lost manpower, businesses should also address how to operate with less staff.
Other preparation guidelines include:
? Employers should review sick leave policies and ensure employees understand them. Employers should try to make sick leave policies flexible for workers who may have to stay home with ill family members or if a child?s school is closed.
? Employers should consider offering vaccine against seasonal flu, and encourage employees to be vaccinated against seasonal and H1N1 flu.
? Employers also might cancel non-essential face-to-face meetings and travel, and space employees farther apart. And employees who are at higher risk for flu complications might be allowed to work from home or stay home if the flu is severe.
Tierney Plumb of the Washington Business Journal, a sister publication, contributed to this report.
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/08/17/daily31.html
Swine flu prep ramps up in Maryland, across the country
Baltimore Business Journal - by Julekha Dash Staff
Maryland will receive its supply of vaccines to treat the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, by October, the state?s health department said Wednesday.
The state is also communicating with hospitals, community health organizations and schools to determine how and when they can get their vaccines, said David Paulson, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The state has asked doctors to register on its Web site to receive the vaccine directly from shipping distributors, Paulson said.
Vaccines to treat swine flu are currently under clinical trials. The University of Maryland School of Medicine, Emory University, Baylor College of Medicine and other institutions are participating in a nationwide network of vaccine evaluation teams funded by the National Institutes of Health. Once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the company, Maryland biotech company MedImmune will manufacture the vaccine for Maryland residents.
The virus has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization and has resulted in six deaths in Maryland.
The state is making its preparations just as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new federal guidelines Wednesday to help employers prep for the flu season ? both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 variety.
Employers should encourage employees with flu-like symptoms or illness to stay home and possibly have those at higher risk of serious medical complications from infection work from home, according to the guidance. In preparation for lost manpower, businesses should also address how to operate with less staff.
Other preparation guidelines include:
? Employers should review sick leave policies and ensure employees understand them. Employers should try to make sick leave policies flexible for workers who may have to stay home with ill family members or if a child?s school is closed.
? Employers should consider offering vaccine against seasonal flu, and encourage employees to be vaccinated against seasonal and H1N1 flu.
? Employers also might cancel non-essential face-to-face meetings and travel, and space employees farther apart. And employees who are at higher risk for flu complications might be allowed to work from home or stay home if the flu is severe.
Tierney Plumb of the Washington Business Journal, a sister publication, contributed to this report.
http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2009/08/17/daily31.html