California unveils flu plan

California unveils flu plan
By Harrison Sheppard, Sacramento Bureau

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_3414545

SACRAMENTO -- California would take steps as drastic as shutting schools, limiting public events and asking people to wear masks in public in order to cope with a possible bird flu pandemic, under a draft plan released today by state health officials.
The avian influenza has yet to reach California and is not easily spread among humans, but health officials are worried the virus could mutate, launching a worldwide pandemic on a scale not seen since Spanish flu killed 20 million people in 1918.

"Depending on its severity, an influenza pandemic could cause widespread economic and societal disruption and severely strain our health-care system," said California Department of Health Services director Sandra Shewry.

"In California alone, scientists estimate a pandemic could cause approximately 35 percent of the population to become ill. An influenza pandemic could be the greatest public-health challenge of our times, disrupting all aspects of society and our health-care system."

A normal flu season might result in 35,000 to 40,000 deaths nationwide, while a pandemic could kill that many people in California alone, health officials said.

To prepare for the possibility, California health officials have drafted a plan that spells out strategies designed to contain the virus, distribute treatments and vaccines, and teach people to prepare their own homes and daily activities.

They have also requested additional funds this year and next to implement those strategies and stockpile up to 270,000 doses of antiviral medications.

There is no vaccine yet available to prevent infection of this particular strain of avian flu, health officials said. Pharmaceutical companies are studying the issue, but it is difficult to create a vaccine in anticipation of a mutated strain that does not yet exist.

The federal government has recently announced a plan to prepare to distribute up to 300 million units of vaccine, when created, within four to six months of an outbreak, and the new state plan outlines strategies to distribute the vaccine to Californians.

In the event of a possible pandemic, state officials will activate a series of emergency procedures, including working with local health officials to increase capacity and staffing at healthcare facilities; quickly identifying and quarantining potential cases; and communicating with the public.

They may also invoke certain "social-distancing" measures that involve limiting mass gatherings where the virus could spread quickly including schools, concerts and sporting events.

State officials would also establish a Disaster Policy Council with top emergency and health officials to make high-level policy decisions.

Some elements of the plan will be implemented prior to a pandemic, such as reinforcing to the public messages about good health practices, like covering one's mouth when sneezing, washing hands, and stockpiling supplies such as bottled water, canned food, batteries and flashlights for an extended emergency.

The California Department of Health Services draft "Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan" can be found at www.dhs.ca.gov.

Comments can be submitted by e-mail to panflu@dhs.ca.gov or through the "Making Comments" link on the site through Feb. 15.

A final version of the plan is expected to be ready by this spring.

nothing will warn people unless it happens................