New York City plans for bird flu pandemic
July 11, 2006 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
New York City: Officials announced a bird flu contingency plan yesterday, placing an importance on early detection and monitoring information from first responders and doctors, emergency room visits and pharmacy sales.
As a major gateway to the USA and one of the world’s most densely populated cities, a well-placed plan is important in the city’s response, so Mayor Michael Bloomberg encourages “citizens to take the possibility of a bird flu pandemic very seriously”.
According to Staten Island Advance: though light on details, the broadly defined city flu plan was organized in stages — from early detection with high-tech tracking devices; to effective treatment of victims and halting the virus’s spread; to uninterrupted health services for the general population. It also includes measures for updating the public as the emergency unfolds.
Because vaccine for the current strain of bird flu is limited in quantity and effectiveness, the supply will be distributed “based on federal guidelines, to health workers and first responders on the front lines, as well as to those most at risk of dying,” said Bloomberg.
