Press release from CDC on new Public Service Announcements and Community Mitigation Guidelines
Webcast
MEDIA ADVISORY - Feb 1 at 2PM Eastern time
WHO: Secretary Mike Leavitt, Department of Health and Human Services(via satellite)
Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director, CDC
Dr. Marty Cetron, Director, CDC Division of Global Migration andQuarantine
Dr. Paul E. Jarris, Executive Director, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
WHAT: Release of two new initiatives to advance the nation's pandemic
influenza preparedness efforts: 1) new PSAs designed to encourage people to
learn more about pandemic flu and 2) New CDC guidelines for implementing
public health measures and actions in response to a pandemic (i.e.
non-pharmaceutical actions such as dismissing students from school,
voluntary isolate of ill people, and social distancing measures like
teleworking).
WHY: The impact of pandemic influenza extends well beyond health and
medical communities into many segments of society. Developing a pandemic
influenza vaccine could take several months, and this guidance describes
strategies that may lessen the impact of pandemic influenza through the use
of public health measures that don't involve vaccines or medications (also
called non-pharmaceutical interventions). For the first time, the new CDC
guidelines illustrate how public health recommendations should or may vary
depending on the projected severity of a pandemic.
WHEN: Thursday, February 1, 2007
2 PM, Eastern Time
Brief remarks followed by Q&A
LISTEN-ONLY AUDIO WEBCAST
This briefing will be audio webcast. To listen LIVE online:
http://www.cdc.gov/...
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The guidance document, graphics and a full transcript of this teleconference will be available following the briefing on the CDC web site at www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media.
As noted here, there's some serious planning going on. If you read the assumptions and scenario, you can understand why this belongs on a political blog (actually, because society would be affected at every level, it belongs everywhere). USA Today will have a detailed story tomorrow about panflu prep at the fed, state and local level, though I'll be traveling and can't post on it until the weekend. For background, see this US government scenario for what's being planned (this is meant as a possible scenario for planning purposes):
Factual Scenario and Assumptions for Vaccine Prioritization Discussion
Impact of the Pandemic
- Every community will be affected
- Community outbreaks will last 6 to 12 weeks
- Of those who become ill, 1 in 10 (10%) will need to be hospitalized and 2 in 100 (2%) will die
- Translated into national figures, 90 million persons will get sick, 10 million be hospitalized, and 2 million die
- While we cannot be sure until the pandemic arrives, those most likely to get very ill and die include infants, pregnant women, people with chronic illnesses, and the elderly
- A pandemic will occur in "waves" - that is, about 3 months after the first outbreaks occur, communities are likely to experience a second pandemic outbreak
- Up to 4 in 10 workers (40%) may not show up for work because they are sick, caring for a sick family member, or are scared to go to work. Because workers are absent:
- Services such as police and fire protection, sanitation, public transportation may be less
- Stores may be closed or have fewer products available, including groceries and gas stations
- Clean water, electricity, and phone serves may be interrupted
Vaccine, Drugs, and Other Responses to the Pandemic
- It will take about 5 months before the first doses of pandemic vaccine are made
- When vaccine is available, there will only be enough for some people at first with more being made available over time
- Many people will not be protected by vaccination at the time the first pandemic outbreak occurs in their community
- Antiviral drugs are being held in a national stockpile and may be available to treat everyone who is ill and seeks treatment
- Communities will act to reduce the spread of pandemic infection
- Ask ill persons to stay home if they don't need hospitalization
- Ask their family members also to stay home for several days
- Close schools and day cares
- Cancel public gatherings
- Change behaviors at work to reduce contact with others
- People will be asked to cover their coughs and wash hands more often; many people will choose to wear masks in public
Scenario for this exercise is at 5 months after the start of a pandemic, and there are enough vaccine-courses for 0.5% of the total US population.
Decision:
A pandemic will threaten our health and well-being in many ways. We will not have enough vaccine to protect everyone before the pandemic hits. How can we best use the vaccine that is made? What goals are important to reach with our vaccination program? Understanding what the public thinks is important will help us answer the question of who should get vaccine earlier and who should get it later.
Ladies and gentlemen, this isn't about Rumsfeld and tamiflu, so don't even bother posting about that for the 3 gazillionth time. Read the scenario and think on how you would be affected. Check the news stories tomorrow and if you're available, at least check out the CDC web site after the conference. And check the vaccine prioritization process to see where the public gets to have a say.
Use this diary after the fact. Or, come here here where we'll be chatting about it.
Next week, we'll start a series on what you can do, but there's plenty of material to review on Flu Wiki. That's why we're there.