IF flu pandemic hits, California likely first, so county prepares

[Guest guest]

Big IF---IF my aunt had wheels, she'd be a bus--or maybe an SUV.

 

Nikki studied fortune telling and choreography at Slippery Rock Univ.

 

 

 

UncBob

 

 

If flu pandemic hits, California likely first, so county prepares

 

By Nikki Cobb, Staff writer

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

 

Avian flu, which has struck more than 340 people in Asia, killing

about 141, has yet to appear in California.

But that doesn't mean state and local officials aren't hard at work

preparing for it.

 

Many experts predict that if a worldwide influenza were to hit the

U.S., it would first be seen in California. The state is uniquely

situated to be the first hit by the virus: It borders Mexico, has

trans-Pacific trade at its ports and airports, and is on the Pacific

flyway used by migrating birds.

 

Any or all of those factors could make California an entry point for

the H5N1 flu strain.

 

San Bernardino County officials say they're preparing now.

 

" We are planning for the potential and how it would impact everyone

in the county, " said Natalie Kessee, county program coordinator for

preparedness and response. " We're planning what we as a department

need to do. "

 

The H5N1 strain of influenza is just one of the possible scourges

that could lead to a pandemic, officials said. But by preparing for

it, the state will become better equipped to deal with any natural

or man-made disaster.

 

Avian flu is, as yet, largely a disease of birds, both wild and

domestic. Its spread to humans has been spotty, but experts fear it

could mutate into a form that could be transmitted human-to-human.

 

Kessee said the county has received $175,338 from the state

Department of Health Services and expects more to help prepare for a

potential flu pandemic. Preparations have been under way for months.

 

Kessee said the county is working with private and public agencies

to buy ventilators, respirators and sundries such as sanitizers,

gloves and masks.

 

They're also checking on how to best ensure that the county has

supplies of a flu vaccine, such as Tamiflu, in the event of a

pandemic. That's difficult to plan for, Kessee said, because such

medicines have a limited shelf life.

 

And if supplies of a viral prophylactic are limited, the county will

look to the Centers for Disease Control and the state to determine

who gets inoculated. Likely, first responders such as medical

professionals would be the priority, Kessee said.

 

The county will hire four or five more people devoted to emergency

response in a pandemic, Kessee said.

 

Scott Smith, a registered nurse in the emergency room at Arrowhead

Regional Medical Center in Colton and disaster coordinator for the

hospital, said the county hospital holds regular drills to prepare

for a pandemic disaster.

 

The hospital keeps caches of medications appropriate for a flu

outbreak, Smith said. Also, there are plans to make room -- in the

hospital's clinics, conference rooms or in other community

facilities -- to accommodate hundreds more patients.

 

" We're hoping this never occurs, " Smith said. " But we're doing

drills much more frequently than in the past. "

 

Kessee said partnerships between public agencies and private

businesses is a main focus of county efforts, and noted that it

would be dangerous to rely on a large-scale national effort to

protect county residents.

 

" The event would affect the county in multiple agencies, " she

said. " It's beyond something public health would handle alone. "

 

Dr. Mark Horton, state public health officer, said at a news

conference Thursday that health experts worldwide are worried about

avian flu. As many as one-third of the state's population could

become ill if the virus hit California, he said.

 

" An influenza pandemic knows no borders, " Horton said. " It would

disrupt the health-care system, the economy -- all facets of life. "

 

Officials from the governor's office unveiled a plan to work with

the 10 states along the U.S.-Mexico border --four in the U.S. and

six in Mexico -- to study the threat of a pandemic and make plans.

 

" The governor wants to strengthen our safety at customs, Border

Patrol and so on, " said A.G. Kawamura, secretary of the California

Department of Food and Agriculture.

 

" Smuggled birds could also pose a threat, " Kawamura said. " The

international movement of people, goods and services has increased

our vulnerability. "

 

The governor's plan calls for stronger border security, improving

public health monitoring, increased international cooperation in

both surveillance and response to the virus, and outreach to poultry

owners.

 

Sandra Shewry, director of California's Department of Health

Services, said in creating the binational council the state is

improving an already-strong network of surveillance and response.

 

" The council will strengthen California's already robust response, "

Shewry said. " It will also strengthen our ability to react to

natural or man-made disasters. "

 

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