Disaster/Pandemic preparedness

[LMonty911]

I was looking the the other Disaster/Pandemic thread that Florida1 started. She mentioned that after the hurricanes, that they had problems getting basic supplies and food stores were often closed for weeks after the storm.

That concerns me. I wonder in case of disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and pandemics if the nurses who work in the area have problems like that. I'd be worried about leaving my family if there was no heat or electric. After loosing electric in the ice storms in the Carolinas a few years back, my husband bought us a generator. I try to keep enough gas stored so that I could run that and maybe have an extra tank of gas for getting back and forth to work, if things were shut down. I never want to wait in the cold on those gas lines again; or have to risk driving around to find necessities!

What disasters have you been through? What lessons did you learn about what things would make life easier if it happens again to you? What can we learn from your experience, and how can we prepare for so we dont have to go through th esame problems you did?

Where there any sepcial tricks or issues that came up that helped you at work? Any special problems that nurses in disasters face?

I have a confession- my home first aid kit is pretty anemic right now :) DH burned his hand prety badly at work last week. I hadnt checked my kit in awhile, and was shocked to see how low I was on some stuff. I only had one roll banfage and had to make a run to WallyWorld the next day! If the stores were shut or the roads iced in or otherwise impassible that would have been an issue. Maybe not life threatening- but its a small example of how not being well prepared can be a problem.

I'd have been so embarrased to admit to hubby I couldnt take care of it, or come thru when he needed me to.

What do you do to prepare? I'm going to restock my kit, and get some more OTC stuff to keep on hand too. What else should I be thinking about?

Laura

[indigo girl]

Protecting the Healthcare Workforce in Pandemic Influenza

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGk-ELKFHto&feature=related

(hat tip flutrackers/florida1

The University of California at Berkeley produced this excellent video.

They have put some thought into what problems healthcare workers

would be facing including caring for their families at home during a

pandemic situation.

With H5N1 now endemic in wild bird populations on the three continents

of Africa, Asia, and Europe, it is smart to look ahead and plan for the

possibility of the appearance of the virus on this continent. There is much

that we can do in advance. UC, Berkeley is at the forefront of pandemic

planning in healthcare.

[indigo girl]

Closing Schools As a Mitigation Strategy During a Pandemic

It is controversial but makes so much sense when you look at the stats.

Pandemic viruses prefer the young. What other choice could we make?

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2008/04/case-of-whether-class-is-half-full-or.html

U.S. cities that quickly closed schools and discouraged public gatherings during the great flu pandemic of 1918 -- which killed tens of millions of people globally -- had as many as 50 percent fewer deaths than cities that took less decisive measures, according to a recent study.

[indigo girl]

Recent Pandemic Flu Drill in Bethel, Connecticut

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62779

The link takes you to a thread with articles and some commentary by folks

who participated in this drill. There were nursing students, EMT students, the

National Guard, docs, nurses, PAs, public health, hospital and nursing home

staff, and folks volunteering to be patients. This was very impressive.

We sure could use more like it across the country.

It sounds like it was a great learning exercise. I was very moved by

the comments of one of the participants, Pixie, who as a moderator at

Plan for Pandemic, one of the panflu forums was a keen observer.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=146739&postcount=2

Seeing the National Guard go operational in one's own neighborhood is always a jarring thing. The National Guard members working this exercise, along with the nurses previously mentioned, took their responsiblity very seriously and remained "in character" throughout. I was very impressed by that. At one small white satellite tent, I noticed a very serious young woman Guardsman in khaki's and surgical mask, standing firmly in parade rest in the middle of the entrance door. Behind her, in neat rows on chairs, were seated a group of student nurses, in their yellow disposable PPE gowns and surgial masks, watching a video shown on a screen in front of them very attentively. Something about that scene was the most poignant of the day. No mention was made, as far as I know, about the fact that these troops and these nurses are very much in the demographic that is affected by the H5N1 virus (realistically, the virus that has brought us to the point of exercising surge response and vax distribution). Something about the scene with the attentive seated nurses, and their very professional guard, made my throat catch a bit. I suppose they'll all go very courageously into this battle.

[indigo girl]

From the Connecticut Department of Public Health:

A Personal and Family Guide

http://www.newfluwiki2.com/upload/ctgov.JPG

Everything you need for your family for 2 weeks is what they are advising.

It's a start, but I think 3 months would be better. Do a little each time

you shop. The fondue pot with sterno is a very good idea. Everyone

could do that.

[indigo girl]

Student Pandemic Flu Prep Site

http://www.studentsprepamerica.org/

(hat tip Avian Flu Diary)

For the students on this forum, does your school have a plan?

Do you have one?

Perhaps the most threatening aspect of a flu pandemic is worker absenteeism. Studies predict high levels of worker outages worldwide for the duration of a pandemic(7). The global economic system based on just-in-time delivery of all goods will be significantly jeopardized under these conditions, experiencing shortages in every sector as illustrated in this manual (PDF). Additionally, critical infrastructure will suffer from supply and worker shortages, affecting our police, firemen, medical personnel, electrical workers, truck drivers, etc. When all the implications of a severe flu pandemic come to light, the disastrous implications are endless.

Some organizations have begun to prepare and can serve as examples for future actions from communities and industries across the nation. One example is our very own Columbia University, who this summer released a plan to cope with the next severe flu pandemic, as well as an FAQ designed to educate students and faculty(10). Some towns, like New Canaan in Connecticut, have begun to inform their citizens and urge community and individual preparation(11). And every day, more people are learning about the potential H5N1 pandemic. Many are stockpiling in their homes for their families. Some are taking action to prepare their neighbors, businesses, and local communities. As students, we cannot sit idly waiting for our parents and leaders to take notice and prepare. We will inherit the future. Our lives are most threatened by this virus. We have the power to have our voices heard. We must take action now to prepare our families, our communities and our nation.

[indigo girl]

Japan - Testing Pre-Pandemic Vaccine

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2008/04/japan-to-test-their-pre-pandemic.html

Japan is among a handful of nations (including the United States, Denmark,

Taiwan, and Switzerland) that have invested in a pre-pandemic bird flu vaccine.

These vaccines are based on an earlier clade of the H5N1 virus, and no one

knows how effective they will be against a mutated virus.

Japan Considering Pre-Pandemic Bird Flu Vaccine for Their Citizens

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2008/04/japan-considers-bird-flu-inoculations.

html

Under the ministry's current plan, the vaccinations for 10 million people

engaged in occupations maintaining social functions, such as police officers

and those working for water and electric utilities, will start in fiscal 2009.

Hoping to eliminate concern over a possible epidemic, the ministry also will

discuss whether to include the general public in the vaccination plan.

[indigo girl]

Alabama : Pandemic Education

The exercises that are taking place in various locations across the country

are a wonderful start but, for us as HCW to take the possibility of such a

high impact event as very real, ongoing education needs to be implemented.

Ideally, every state will offer pandemic seminars for HCW, and law

enforcement monthly, and for no longer than an hour at a time.

This kind of information is difficult enough for people to take in, but if

exposed to it routinely in small amounts, it makes the possibility of

pandemic more belivable, and not so unlikely to occur. After all we are

asking people to understand that pandemics are naturally occurring events

because they actually are, and that they occur about three times per century.

These events can have a high impact on our lives and that of our loved

ones. There absolutely will be another pandemic, but the severity of the

occurrence can vary. The last devastating pandemic took place in 1918, and

lasted for over one year. It is very difficult for many people to believe that

such an event could happen again because of our absolute belief in the

superiority of modern medicine and technology. That faith in our current

medical system will be the achilles heel for many including HCW. An ongoing

education on the impact of pandemic issues on the public health system

presented in hourly increments would help to get the message across that we

are overdue for the next pandemic, and that we all have a role to play for

the best possible outcome for everyone. Most can not handle this type of

information for more than an hour at a time, and talking at us is not as

effective as participation in exercises that force us to respond to some of the

many problems that can be anticipated as if we are performing a practice

code situation. This needs to happen soon, occur routinely, and become

part of mandatory continuing education because it is that important.

We are the first society in history that has had advance warning of the

possibility of a severe pandemic occurrance with our current information on

H5N1, a bird flu virus. The 1918 pandemic was also the result of a severe bird

flu virus, and the parallels are obvious. Secretary Leavitt of HHS has reminded us

that we have been granted some God given time to prepare. We do not know

how much time we have, but we should use it wisely.

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2008/04/alabama-pandemic-education.html

"It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," was the echo of some of the speakers at the state agency's flu pandemic emergency preparedness meeting this week in Mobile. The daylong seminar, held on the Brookley Complex alongside Mobile Bay, is part of a series of 11 conferences across the state aimed at providing instructions for pandemic readiness and continuing education courses for nurses, social workers, paramedics, and law enforcement.

...Security will need to be provided for mass burial sites, hospitals and pharmacies as fear and chaos could take hold of the community, McClellan said.

Elmer Sellers, the assistant administrator for University of South Alabama Medical Center, said in the event of the pandemic barricades will go up at the facility's entrances to keep people who don't need to be there from entering the hospital and exposing themselves to germs.

A triage center will be set up outside complete with x-ray machines, so health workers can assess whether patients need to be hospitalized.

The hospital has one refrigerator truck ready to keep bodies once the morgue fills up, he said. "We are going to have a lot of fatalities," Sellers said.

[indigo girl]

Vietnam Begins 2nd Human Trial Of Bird Flu Vaccine

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2008/04/vietnam-begins-2nd-human-trial-of-bird.html

This is another trial of a prepandemic vaccine. As noted in the post above

on 4/16/08, Japan is also doing trials. I hope that they are successful in

protecting their populations. I hope so for them and for us as well.

An official from the ministry said 30 volunteers from the Military Medical Academy in Ha Tay Province near Hanoi were injected with a one millimeter dose of the vaccine.

[indigo girl]

Commentary on Japan's Prepandemic Vaccine Plans

SophiaZoe' does not write often, but when she does, it is always worth reading.

Her analysis is from the perspective of a former law enforcement officer.

http://birdflujourney.typepad.com/a_journey_through_the_wor/2008/04/japan-and-pre-p.html

http://birdflujourney.typepad.com/a_journey_through_the_wor/2008/04/update-japans-p.html

I have been a proponent of pre-pandemic vaccination of as many Health Care Providers, First Responders, and critical infrastructure personnel as possible for about as long as the concept has been floating around. I do always caveat that support though with the stipulation that the vaccine not contain any adjuvant, as I believe they are an unnecessarily dangerous inclusion for healthy younger adult, a wild card that even I am not willing to gamble on.

By protecting the Front Line we protect the maximum number of those who will need them to be on post should the pandemic happen. The currently unanswerable question is just how much protection will be afforded to those who receive the pre-pandemic strain of vaccine...

[indigo girl]

Webcast Series on Pandemic Influenza

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/news/panflu_webinar.html

[hat tip PFI/Soundhound 1]

April 30, 2008 at 2 pm, is the final webcast on the State planning and assessment process. The Department of Education will be featured and will address issues relating to the dismissal of students during a pandemic. More details will be available on http://www.pandemicflu.gov

The first webinar on the State planning and assessment process, which aired on March 13, can be viewed at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/news/panflu_webinar1.html

The pandemic influenza planning webcasts are brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

[sharona97, BSN, RN]

Recent Pandemic Flu Drill in Bethel, Connecticut

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62779

The link takes you to a thread with articles and some commentary by folks

who participated in this drill. There were nursing students, EMT students, the

National Guard, docs, nurses, PAs, public health, hospital and nursing home

staff, and folks volunteering to be patients. This was very impressive.

We sure could use more like it across the country.

It sounds like it was a great learning exercise. I was very moved by

the comments of one of the participants, Pixie, who as a moderator at

Plan for Pandemic, one of the panflu forums was a keen observer.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=146739&postcount=2

IG: You and i discussed this how long ago? Nurses will be needed to show up and how impressive to hear "in good form", which IMO means taking this ride seriously. I know I wll be volunteering if not on the payroll, doesn't matter. Our Parish is on top of following this forum. S.

[indigo girl]

Dr David Butler-Jones, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer on Warding Off the Next One

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=151485&postcount=1

During a pandemic, aggressive decisions are sometimes made without consulting the public. Who should be held responsible for those decisions in the aftermath? It depends on the situation-that's why it's good to have things in place. When planning for these situations, you need to involve the private sector, make sure there's a connection and meet the people you need to work with. This way when you have to make decisions in an instant, you bring expertise and experience to those judgements.

What if those actions are out of proportion to the threat? We tend to err on the side of caution. Pilots make that sort of decision all the time, when they delay a flight for instance. It's a tremendous inconvenience but most of us would prefer to be delayed than risk getting ill or have the plane go down.