Yukon Kuskokwim Nushagak science

There was quite a bit packed into an hour because it was well-organized, but easy to follow. You can follow along to compare whether (or what types of) preparedness has or has not been done locally. For example, I haven’t seen or heard anything about the ethics of who will receive scarce treatments; we know from the Hooper Bay fire news stories that very few if any schools have an emergency plan which has been tested. Have any of the businesses (besides Corinna’s) looked to see if there will be sufficient sanitation supplies on hand? Lynden Cargo is about our only source of fresh foods and mail. What will they do if the airport is closed for several weeks or their staff is ill? Another question, although this is the year designated for maximum seasonal influenza immunizations and education, how come we are so late in getting the vaccine?

Pandemic Flu Preparedness: What Every Community Should Know

• http://publichealthgrandrounds.unc.edu/pandemic/

September 29, 2006, 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET

An online discussion forum will begin September 29 and end on October 6. Come back here after the program to ask questions and share your best practices.

• Join the discussion. - https://instruct.unc.edu/wcb/schools/5/4601/bhart/PubRoun27061/forums/forum1/wwwboard.html

• Go to the webcast - http://publichealthgrandrounds.unc.edu/pandemic/webcast_od.htm

• Go to the closed caption webcast - http://publichealthgrandrounds.unc.edu/pandemic/webcast_od_cc.htm

This comes in pdf format of individual chapters. I haven’t had a chance to review this yet. It is aimed at health educators who too often jump in without listening first.

[I once had the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ATSDR, part of EPA and CDC, insist that we had to write materials in the local language. We kept insisting that the indigenous language was not a written one; even if it were, most speakers couldn’t read it; and we really wanted to use dance as a medium of education, not reading. The Agency also insisted we do telephone surveys, even though only about half of us had telephones. Stupid us for thinking we were capable of doing our own research.]

“Teaching Patients With Low Literacy Skills, 2nd Ed.” 1996, JB Lippincott Pub. is now available on line and may be read and downloaded at no charge.

• http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/doak.html

[posted on the HealthLiteracy listserv]

from the excellent blog, Bringing Health Information to Communities

• http://library.med.utah.edu/blogs/BHIC/archives/cat_articles.html#001816

Site Search Tags: BHIC, health+ed, literacy

Pandemic Flu Preparedness: What Every Community Should Know
September 29, 2006, 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET
A National Satellite Broadcast & Webcast, Site registration will begin August 21
[deadline]

It’s just an hour, but maybe will have links and readings posted.

“Public Health Grand Rounds is a series of satellite broadcasts and webcasts presenting real-world case studies on public health issues ranging from obesity to bioterrorism, from SARS to food safety.”

http://www.publichealthgrandrounds.unc.edu/index.htm

Site Search Tags: deadline, broadcast, webcast

printed in the Anchorage Daily News which I don’t think intended this to be satire.

http://www.adn.com/life/health/birdflu/story/7939198p-7832627c.html

By MARY PEMBERTON, The Associated Press
Published: July 7, 2006

Alaska is taking an aggressive stance against a possible outbreak of deadly bird flu in humans by placing its order early for medicines intended to slow the spread of a pandemic.

State officials will eventually order enough antiviral doses to cover about a fourth of Alaska residents.

Officials are being bold because the state is a crossroads for migratory birds, which could be carrying the virus here from other parts of the world….

“If we get to 2007, we will be on our road of having a reasonable supply,” Mandsager said….

State health officials this summer will come up with a map for distributing the drugs quickly if there is an outbreak. The plan calls for moving some of the antivirals from Anchorage to cities and towns such as Bethel, Nome and Kotzebue, and eventually to the villages.

“It won’t do any good to have the medicine if we don’t have a distribution plan,” Mandsager said…. emphasis added

With regard to antivirals as effective agents against an H5N1 human pandemic—see discussions here:

from EffectMeasure [It’s not the plan, it’s the planning. - http://ykalaska.uniblogs.org/2006/04/14/ its-not-the-plan-its-the-planning/]
“But an important issue raised by the IAFF (echoed by health care workers) is policy around prophylaxis of essential workers.”
http://effectmeasure.blogspot.com/ 2006/04/firefighters-and-bird-flu.html

Bird Flu: Communicating the Risk, Sandman & Lanard - http://ykalaska.uniblogs.org/2006/03/21/h5n1-risk-sandman/

Influenza: An Impending Pandemic. A presentation by Rashid A. Chotani, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Global Infectious Disease Surveillance & Alert System, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

His powerpoint slideshow is a very good general introduction to the subject. The presentation is viewable on-line from
http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/lecture/lec21431/index.htm
Read the rest of this entry »

These hardcopy brief guides or handouts are recommended for their accuracy and clarity. [updated 14apr2006]

You can call the CDC Flu Information Hotline (English and Spanish) at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic/
800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)
888-232-6348 (TTY)
cdcinfo@cdc.gov

In Alaska, if you see a group of dead or sick birds, especially if something you notice seems unusual, call 1-866-5-BRDFLU, (1-866-527-3358). 14apr2006 revised state alert notice To report dead or sick birds, where no obvious cause is apparent, call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hotline at 1-866-5-BRDFLU (1-866-527-3358). Do not handle birds found sick or dead!

14apr2006—
For public health questions, human health concerns or planning for pandemic flu, call 1-888-9Panflu (1-888-972-6358) or Anchorage residents can call the local line: (907) 334-2292.

Safe food preparation by calling the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).

Technorati Tags:
hotline
H5N1
bird+flu
Alaska

Bird Flu: Communicating the Risk by Peter M. Sandman and Jody Lanard
2005 Perspectives in Health (Panamerican Health Organization), vol 10, No. 2, retrieved 18 March 2006.

Many experts believe that avian influenza is a time bomb for human health. But how to deal with the many uncertainties surrounding the issue? Two leading risk communication experts give their best advice on sounding the alarm about what might be the next great flu pandemic—or not.

from the March 21, 2006 edition
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0321/p09s01-coop.html

Selling ‘pandemic flu’ through a language of fear
Traditional skepticism is missing in discussions of pandemic flu.
By Peter Doshi
Read the rest of this entry »

Self-instruction course or tutorial (also in pdf form)

I have not had time to review this course. However: the credentials are good (PanAmerican Health Organization); it’s been on the Internet for awhile. The site includes links to further readings and a glossary. Topics list is comprehensive, too.

Introduction
Basic aspects of communication Read the rest of this entry »

RE: Google news proxy this was published today–

More News Outlets, Fewer Stories: New Media ‘Paradox’
By James Rainey, Times Staff Writer March 13, 2006

A “new paradox of journalism” has emerged in which the number of news outlets continues to grow, yet the number of stories covered and the depth of many reports is decreasing, according to an annual review of the news business being released today by a watchdog group.

Read the rest of this entry »