Goju

with 16000 HCW in the UK out of work sick right now with H1N1 I think all HCW should get the vax. Mandatory. You guys go down... and we all follow.

Hi all, Havent checked in here for a while. My original post was for H5N1 but i am fascinated by the challenge H1N1 posses. While not as deadly as a potential H5N1 Pandemic, H1N1 is still pretty bad. People getting very sick and many dying. A real Pandemic virus. I do believe that health care facilities will run out of PPE soon. Certainly when a surge hits. Enough of those and no supplies will be left leaving you all totally exposed. I fear for your and your family's health and lives come this Fall.

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

FYI - Not H5N1 bt see how the HCW respond when not enough PPE is available? Uganda: Union Urges Medics to Quit Ebola-Hit Area The Nation (Nairobi) 7 December 2007 Kampala "The Uganda Medical Workers Union, an umbrella association of about 20,000 health workers in the country, has asked scores of under-resourced and unprotected medics attending to Ebola patients in the worst hit Uganda's western district of Bundibugyo to leave immediately. "All (health) workers who are not provided with protective gear should not work on suspected Ebola cases and (should) leave straight away," the Union chairman Dr Apollo Nyangasi said on Thursday. The recall comes a day after Dr Jonah Kule, a medical officer at Bundibugyo Hospital, his junior Joshua Kule, a senior clinical officer, Ms Rose Bulimpikya, a matron at the same hospital and another unnamed nurse, who all contracted the haemorrhagic fever from patients they were treating, died. They bring to 18 the cumulative number of medics lost to Ebola since its outbreak in Gulu in 2000 in which at least 14 nurses died on duty alongside Dr Mathew Lukwiya, the then Medical Superintendent of Lacor hospital, who has since been declared a national hero. "Losing one health worker," Dr Nyangasi said, "means endangering the lives of over 15, 000 people since the ratio of health workers to the population is 1: 15, 000 and we call upon government to be proactive in cases of epidemics but not reactionary like now". - excerpt http://tinyurl.com/yr4n6o

Dont know how long this site will stay up but a very interesting dialog between the people and the HHS/CDC/DHS on Pandemic Vaccine Priority http://www.webdialogues.net/cs/panflu-engage-home/view/di/104?x-t=home

here is a link to the actual document http://www.pandemicflu.gov/vaccine/prioritization.html here is the link for joining http://www.aspe.hhs.gov/panflu/FRN%20PanFluVaccinePriorityGuide.htm

Join in the dialogue here http://www.webdialogues.net/cs/panflu-engage-home/view/di/104?x-t=home.view A Public Engagement Dialogue Conducted in Cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Welcome to the dialogue on Vaccination Prioritization for Pandemic Influenza. Experts say chances of a deadly worldwide outbreak of flu are increasing. The United States Department of Health and Human Services is in the process of preparing to reduce the impact of a pandemic influenza in the United States. The U.S. government is working to secure an adequate supply of vaccine for pandemic flu. In case of an outbreak, vaccine will be distributed according to predetermined priorities. Determining these priorities is a difficult task. This dialogue seeks to obtain public input on the government’s ten pandemic influenza vaccination goals. Participants will discuss this critical health issue with public health officials. The latest information on pandemic influenza (also known as avian influenza) is available at http://www.pandemicflu.gov. Sponsored by: National Association of County and City Health Officials Association of State and Territorial Heath Officials Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Indigo Girl - by the looks of it, we are heading for an extremely severe pandemic targeting the young and health, with no vaccine, too few antivirals, an almost non existent nursing staff & uninformed public. In other words - very big trouble. Sometimes it seems that the Government doesn't want the public to know whats really happening and hope that their "containment" strategy will work.

We have a team of Moms at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, D.C. November 3-7, 2007. and this is the report SusanC posted from today from flu Wikie - http://www.newfluwiki2.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1791

Has anyone addressed the "other essential" workers in a hospital setting who without the hospital would come to a grinding halt? Like the cleaning crews, Laundry crews, stocking/loading/unloading crews, kitchen crews? No clean sheets could be a big problem no?

I have posted the link to this discussion on HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt's blog here http://secretarysblog.hhs.gov/my_weblog/2007/10/express-lane-sc.html#comments

indigo girl, That is an excellent link. This has been an eye opening thread to say the least. Nurses will be the front line and by the sound of it... the lines will be very porous.

what it would take to make you willing to work under circumstances such as I have described. What would you want? PPE -- OK, which ones? N95s enough or would you want a higher grade perhaps even 1/2 masks with P-100 filters, goggles? or would you request full face? Would you supply your own? Would you expect Tamiflu, for you families? vaccine priority? Would you spend your own money on it? would you work if you received extra (hazard) pay? would you work if you were supplied a hotel room paid for so you don't have to go home and possible expose your family? Would it be easier for you to do all that if you knew that ALL hospital executives were living on site and working?

Ms. Patton, President of the American Nurses Association participated in an online blog for HHS about Pandemic Flu. here http://blog.pandemicflu.gov/ It is a fascinating read. I implore all here to write to her and ask her help in securing Proper PPE and guidelines for nurses dealing with Pandemic Flu. Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR Rebecca M. Patton MSN, RN, CNOR, of Lakewood, Ohio was elected to serve a two-year term as president of the American Nurses Association in June 2006. ANA is the nation's largest professional nursing organization representing the major health policy, practice, and workplace issues of 2.9 million registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. A nurse since 1980, Patton was most recently the Director of periOperative Services for EMH Regional Healthcare System in Cleveland, Ohio. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, and has written chapters for books on medical-surgical nursing and articles for nursing journals. Patton has a Bachelors of Science in nursing from Kent State University and a Masters of Nursing from Case Western Reserve University. She has held numerous ANA positions including treasurer (1998-2002), Board of Directors member (1994-1998), and delegate to the ANA House of Delegates (2003-2005).

If you do not go "into" work, will you assist neighbors asking for help to care for their sick family members? Would you volunteer to help in your community?