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Website by: Jared Warner |
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SOUTHWEST OHIO PUBLIC HEALTH REGION |
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Public Health Region News Emergency
Preparedness Info -
Tristate Medical
Reserve Corps Regional Planning
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Executive Steering
Committee Coordinators Disease Investigators Local Health
Departments |
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Vaccine
would likely not be available to treat pandemic flu for at least 6-9 months,
or longer, after human to human transmission of the virus. It is
impossible to accurately predict what areas of the world will be hit first,
or how quickly it will spread. Because of this, it is difficult for
local health departments to develop effective strategies for minimizing the
impact of pandemic flu. The
federal government is currently stockpiling antivirals for use during a
pandemic, and plans to have enough to treat 25 percent of the
population. A large part of public
health planning is dedicated to operating mass dispensing clinics, where
medication can be provided to our population very quickly in the event of an
emergency, Current planning activities focus
primarily on community and business education, determining the best social
distancing methods for preventing the spread of pandemic influenza, and
developing mass dispensing plans and protocols for distributing any vaccine
or antiviral medication. Health departments in the region are working
hard to assure that we are as prepared as possible for this potentially
devastating disease outbreak. For more info, visit:
PandemicFlu.gov:
Planning Checklist for Individuals and Families |
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How Are We Preparing? |
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A
pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A flu pandemic occurs when a new
influenza virus emerges and people have little or no immunity, and for which
there is no vaccine. The disease spreads person-to-person, and may cause
serious illness, and can sweep across the country and around the world in
very a short time. It is difficult to predict when the next
influenza pandemic will occur, where it will initiate, or how severe it will
be. Initially officials did not know if H1N1 was going to be severe or
mild. Health professionals continue to be
concerned about the continued spread of a highly pathogenic avian H5N1 virus
across eastern Asia and other countries.
The H5N1 virus has raised concerns about a potential human pandemic
because: -It is easily spread -It is being spread by
migratory birds -It can be transmitted from
birds to mammals and in some limited circumstances to humans, and -Like other influenza viruses,
it continues to change over time. |
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Pandemic Influenza |
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Question: Will
a pandemic influenza occur? If so, when will it happen? Answer: Many scientists believe
it is only a matter of time until the next influenza pandemic occurs. The
timing and severity of the next pandemic cannot be predicted. Influenza
pandemics occurred three times in the past century — in 1918-19, 1957-58, and
1968-69. Question: Could
terrorists spread the avian influenza viruses to create a worldwide pandemic? Answer: Experts believe it is highly
unlikely that a pandemic influenza virus could be created by terrorists.
Developing a pandemic influenza virus would require extraordinary scientific
skill as well as sophisticated scientific equipment and other resources. Question: What
are the symptoms of influenza in humans? Answer: People infected an
influenza virus have shown everything from typical human influenza-like
symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) to pneumonia, severe
respiratory diseases, and other life-threatening complications. Symptoms of
influenza may depend on which specific virus subtype and strain which causes
the infection. |
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Frequently Asked Questions |
