Document Actions
Early Lessons from H1N1 - June 18, 2009 #199
Well, the big flu pandemic has come and gone. Or maybe not. The flu season has petered out here, but it is just getting started in Australia, where thousands of new cases suggest the H1N1 Swine Flu will return to our hemisphere next winter. While it turned out to be much less dangerous than feared this time, its next visit may bring a more deadly mutation. So what lessons can be learned from our first “exposure?” Well, I will tell you more if you will give me Just a Minute for Homeland Security.
I’m Dave McIntyre, Director of the Integrative Center for Homeland Security at Texas A&M
Trust for America’s Health and the UPMC Center for Biosecurity are two highly regarded medical programs that joined forces to issue a report on first lessons from H1N1. I have changed the order, but here were their top 10 lessons.
1 Planning and stockpiling medications works. Federal, state and local officials had practiced exactly what to do as the flu spread. Their actions and the distribution of medicines worked as planned.
2 But international cooperation was more complicated than expected. Even those who tried to cooperate, like Mexico, had technical and communications challenges. Others made up their own rules as they went along. Like banning American pork from import, when food has nothing to do with flu.
3 In fact, the pandemic alert phases announced by the World Health Organization actually caused problems, since they led to confusion about the severity of the disease.
4 So responses to bio events must be flexible and driven by science. For example, different communities in the US were impacted differently, so they needed different local policies.
5 Not surprisingly, one key to success was providing clear information in order to build public trust. This requires leaders talking to the public, early and often.
6 One important example is school closings, which have enormous impact on students, parents and employees.
7 In fact, policies for limiting public gatherings are problematic. For example, the availability of sick leave drives how people act when schools are closed, or when they themselves get sick.
8 Also, despite best efforts, communication between public health officials and doctors seeing patients was not well coordinated.
9 The bottom line was that although the H1N1 outbreak was mild, the health care delivery system was overwhelmed. Where cases of flu clustered, emergency departments were jammed.
10 Clearly public health departments simply do not have enough resources to carry out our plans.
The question now is, how can we use the time between now and next flu season to apply these lessons? And will we do it?
This is Dave McIntyre, Director of the Integrative Center for Homeland Security at Texas A&M, inviting you to join us again next week when we will examine more early lessons from the flu pandemic on Just a Minute . . . for Homeland Security.