Flu Vaccine for pandemic

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Specializes in LTC.

Flu vaccine time, for the seasonal flu. My nursing home offered it to staff first, then the residents, and in a couple of weeks, we'll be offering it to the general public.

I've been thinking about pandemic flu ... surfing the World Health Organization web site. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/en/

If bird flu (H5N1) mutates so it can be transmitted person to person and starts killing millions, who should get the vaccine, and when? There will be two shots, 21 days apart, and there won't be nearly enough for everyone.

I have Steve Taylor's "Lifeboat" playing in my head. Is there a disaster plan in place for a flu pandemic?

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Specializes in A little of this & a little of that.

Yes there are plans in place.

Check your state DPH and Homeland Security Web areas for your local info. Obviously, the plans are untested. All plans involve health care providers being available to give the vaccines. They are looking for nurses to volunteer to be activated in case of a health emergency like pandemic flu or a bio attack like smallpox. I am on my states roster for this.

It is also a major part of the reason that many states are passing legislation to allow health professional who have not traditionally given vaccines (like pharmacists) to legally do so.

Both the recent Avian Flu outbreaks and further research about the pandemic flu of 1917 have given government officials reason to think more deeply about our society's vulnerability to pandemic disease whether natural or man-made.

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Flu vaccine time, for the seasonal flu. My nursing home offered it to staff first, then the residents, and in a couple of weeks, we'll be offering it to the general public.

I've been thinking about pandemic flu ... surfing the World Health Organization web site. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/en/

If bird flu (H5N1) mutates so it can be transmitted person to person and starts killing millions, who should get the vaccine, and when? There will be two shots, 21 days apart, and there won't be nearly enough for everyone.

I have Steve Taylor's "Lifeboat" playing in my head. Is there a disaster plan in place for a flu pandemic?

Check:

Pandemic Prep

http://www.getpandemicready.org

Pandemic discussion and news

http://www.singtomeohmuse.com/viewforum.php?f=1

CIDRAP info

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/panflu/news/sep2208cbo.html

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