Health

National pandemic plan revealed

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 22, 2006

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Effective surveillance and a prompt response to an outbreak of influenza will be crucial to protect the nation's health, noted a new national strategy that was unveiled by President Bush May 3 for handling a pandemic.

Flu virus spreads quickly, infecting patients one to 1½ days after exposure. At about two days, most infected people will develop symptoms. Tracking the course of a pandemic should be performed in real time to permit the most advantageous distribution of resources to the health care system, according to the report.

The federal government has set two primary vaccine goals: to establish and maintain stockpiles of pre-pandemic vaccine adequate to immunize 20 million people and to expand the nation's capacity to produce enough vaccine for the entire population within six months.

The federal government also plans to stockpile enough antiviral medication to treat 75 million people and to have 6 million additional doses reserved for containment efforts.

The guidelines include a reminder that during a prolonged mass casualty event, people with unrelated medical conditions will continue to require care. Plus, consumable and durable medical resources may be in short supply, necessitating advance planning to ensure sufficient equipment. An adequate response to a pandemic must be community-based and coordinated at the regional level.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/05/22/hlbf0522.htm.

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