Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14097548.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
How we should plan for bird flu
AREA HEALTH CHIEF PRESENTS UPDATE
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
Mercury News
Scientists say we're overdue for a worldwide flu pandemic. As Santa Clara County's public health officer, Dr. Martin Fenstersheib is responsible for making sure people are ready.
Fenstersheib will talk about preparations for a flu pandemic at tonight's meeting of the county Health Advisory Commission. The meeting is open to the public.
Q. We've been hearing a lot about flu lately. How do bird flu, pandemic flu and seasonal flu relate to each other?
A. Seasonal flu is the flu we see every year, with its peak in winter months. Bird flu is a strain that infects birds; this particular strain can make people sick only if they've been directly exposed to infected birds. What we're worried about is if a strain of bird flu changes itself into a brand new strain that allows it to jump from human to human. We'd have a new strain that will be pretty strong and no one would have immunity. It would spread quickly around the world. That's pandemic flu.
Q. How worried should we be?
A. With bird flu, it's more worrisome for people with chickens or domestic birds in their yards. But we haven't seen it here yet. With pandemic flu, it may not happen this year, or next year, but we cannot be complacent. We must plan for this.
Q. Do vaccines protect against these types of flu?
A. No. There is a vaccine for birds, but it's not widely used. With a new strain of pandemic flu, we will not have any immunity. It will take six to nine months to make a new vaccine once we know the pandemic strain.
Q. How might county residents be affected?
A. We know 25 to 35 percent of the population could be infected with pandemic flu, with an estimated 22,500 to 31,000 deaths over 12 to 24 months.
Q. What is the county doing to prepare?
A. We may have to limit large gatherings such as concerts. We may have to close schools and day care centers.
Isolation of sick people in their homes has a great role in every flu pandemic. Quarantine -- isolation of people who are sick, but do not yet display symptoms -- would be used in very limited situations. We're going to educate people to take care of family members in their own homes.
We're going to set up several centers that could provide minimal levels of care for people when there isn't room at hospitals. We'll be asking for more funding for ventilators and oxygen -- we have 400 to 500 ventilators in the county and we need twice that number. We have very minimal supplies of Tamiflu (a drug that can relieve severe flu symptoms) and would use it for treatment, rather than prevention.
Q. What can county residents do to prepare?
A. We want people to understand the common elements of infection control: covering your coughs, staying home when sick, not sending kids to school when they're sick, washing hands. We're recommending keeping a two-week supply of food, water and medications in the house, along with face masks, gloves and disinfectants.
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IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
Today's 7 p.m. presentation is at the Board of Supervisors Chambers, 70 W. Hedding St. in San Jose. For more informationvisit www.sccphd.orgor www.pandem icflu.gov/plan/
After the two-week supply of food is gone, then what? People don't like being without food.
Officials say Azeri dog dies of bird flu
Wed Mar 15, 2006 9:02 AM ET
Source: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-03-15T140216Z_01_L15187475_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-AZERBAIJAN-DOG.xml&archived=False
BAKU (Reuters) - A dog has died of bird flu in Azerbaijan, a country where the virus is believed to have caused the death of three young women, officials said on Wednesday.
"A dead stray dog has been found, and after analysis type A bird flu was discovered. The medical investigation is continuing," said a statement from the state commission tasked with fighting the spread of bird flu. It said the dog died on March 9 in the capital Baku.