Yukon Kuskokwim Nushagak science

I found this at the excellent source of health information, BHIC blog, Bringing Health Information to the Community

“Medical Reference for Non-Medical Librarians”

• http://denison.uchsc.edu/outreach/medbib3.htm

Be sure to check out the page on

• Evaluating Medical Web Sites - http://denison.uchsc.edu/education/eval.html

An acronym to help with evaluation

* Use the acronym DOCTOr to remember the key categories to evaluate:
o Design - the aesthetics and ease of movement around the site.
o Other - cost of use, is the site rated or reviewed?
o Content - the depth and quality of the information, its purpose and audience.
o Technical - the technology requirements of the site, the effectiveness of the technology used.
o Origin - the author and sponsor of the site, their qualifications for presenting the information, the date of the information.

The DOCTOr acronym should also remind patients to consult a health professional before following the advice dispensed on a web page, in a news group message, or any other source.

Site Search Tags: BHIC, reference, library, dictionary

2005 American Community Survey (ACS) data are now being released. The 2005 ACS data include demographic and social information such as race, Hispanic origin, age, education, marital status, grandparents as caregivers, veterans, disability status and U.S. citizenship. The data is available for nearly 7,000 areas, including all congressional districts and counties, cities and American Indian/Alaska native areas of 65,000 population or more.

http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en

reference from BHIC

http://library.med.utah.edu/blogs/BHIC/ archives/cat_websites.html#001737

http://www.helpage.org/Resources/Manuals#1118336526-0-10
Older people in disasters and humanitarian crises: Guidelines for best practice

Ageways is a semi-annual publication from HelpAge International HelpAge.org. It has much we can learn from the so-called Third World. Their entry page for emergencies is here

http://www.helpage.org/Emergencies

Site Search Tags:
elderly
aging
elders
senior+citizen
checklist
guidelines

http://www.ak-prepared.com/plans/mitigation/

Unfortunately, nearly everything is hard to find and the checklists are not well presented (why does a state of Alaska site have a dot com URL instead of dot gov?).

Basic Template for Alaska Small Community/Tribal Emergency Operations Plans
Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 1 Jan 2006 This document is a basic template for emergency operations plans for Alaskan communities developed by state homeland security officials. Small Community Model Plan Acrobat Reader Version

The MS Word format is more useful, Small Community Model Plan MS Word Version

The ways in which communities govern themselves differ widely throughout Alaska. Rural communities are often incorporated as cities, but not always. Native communities may instead choose to be governed by a tribal council. Yet others may be governed by a non-profit community association. Most native communities also have a village corporation. Each of these organizations usually owns assets needed in an emergency response. They should agree to work in unison to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters. This template presumes that to be the case.

2006-07-27 I moved this up from a comment on Local alcohol prohibition, police presence and serious injury in isolated Alaska Native villages so I could better characterize the entry. mpb

I have been assembling references about alcohol control points and whether increasing prohibition (which the City Council of Bethel wishes to do) has any effect on the rate (prevalence) or incidence of crime, chronic alcoholism, or addiction. The references have been assembled in

http://www.connotea.org/user/Hlthenvt

or use your own tags (search terms) to find similar articles cited in the collection as a whole

http://www.Connotea.org

This issue [further alcohol control through a city-run office] needs careful examination which the City of Bethel Council hasn’t yet done, before changing community policy.** Public involvement procedures should provide at least three proposed alternatives–

no action

action 1

action 2

with the pros and cons (positive and negative impacts) of each alternative. (Or, multiple working hypotheses with procedures to falsify them.)

[**the proposal was removed from City Council action by a special election which now requires any establishment of a city-run alcohol dispensing center to be put to a vote of all Bethel voters.]

Site Search Tags: prohibition, Bethel, CoB, connotea, policy

Because our birds fly way south for winter…

Regional action plan for avian flu, Tuesday, July 25, 2006

THE Sectretariat of the Pacific Community has been tasked with drafting an action plan in the event a human case of the avian influenza is reported in the region.

This was resolved at the weeklong meeting in Nadi this week which focuses on the implementation of the Pacific Regional Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plan.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=45318

http://www.spc.int/lrd/index.htm

…The aim of the project is to establish immediate measures to prevent and/or respond to a possible outbreak of avian influenza and pandemic human influenza in the region. The focus will be on building capacity within Pacific Island countries for surveillance and diagnosis of avian influenza, and other emerging diseases, and emergency response planning. Activities will cover both public and animal health….

“In the Pacific, human influenza outbreaks can happen at any time of the year, being more influenced by the flow of people from temperate regions than by the local climate. Many islands are visited by large numbers of tourists and there is the potential for new strains of influenza to be transported back to Pacific Island communities in the Northern and Southern hemispheres….

Although there is no certainty that an influenza pandemic will occur, it is a potentially serious threat that must be addressed. The Pacific is vulnerable to the introduction of pandemic influenza through the movement of people, migratory birds and legal and illegal trade in poultry and poultry products. To respond to such a threat, Pacific Island countries need effective preparedness plans and the resources and capacity to implement them. While some countries have developed, or are in the process of developing preparedness plans, and some surveillance and laboratory capacity, none of these have been tested for a pandemic scenario. The priorities identified by regional governments include improved surveillance, development and testing of plans, strengthened public health measures, and inclusion of more sectors/stakeholders in planning and implementation.”

Site Search Tags: Polynesia, Pacific+Island

The report itself is here

Weekly Epidemiological Record
http://www.who.int/entity/csr/disease/avian_influenza/ guidelines/wer8126/en/index.html

Data used in the analysis were collected for surveillance purposes. Quality, reliability and format were not consistent across data from different countries. Despite this limitation, several conclusions could be reached.

* The number of new countries reporting human cases increased from 4 to 9 after October 2005, following the geographical extension of outbreaks among avian populations.
* Half of the cases occurred in people under the age of 20 years; 90% of cases occurred in people under the age of 40 years.
* The overall case-fatality rate was 56%. Case fatality was high in all age groups but was highest in persons aged 10 to 39 years.
* The case-fatality profile by age group differs from that seen in seasonal influenza, where mortality is highest in the elderly.
* The overall case-fatality rate was highest in 2004 (73%), followed by 63% to date in 2006, and 43% in 2005.
* Assessment of mortality rates and the time intervals between symptom onset and hospitalization and between symptom onset and death suggests that the illness pattern has not changed substantially during the three years.
* Cases have occurred all year round. However, the incidence of human cases peaked, in each of the three years in which cases have occurred, during the period roughly corresponding to winter and spring in the northern hemisphere. If this pattern continues, an upsurge in cases could be anticipated starting in late 2006 or early 2007.

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2006_06_30/en/index.html

More local news via the world-wide web tools (Google Alert - alaska bird flu) [see earlier post, Test results (maybe)]

Anchorage lab certified to test for bird flu
Anchorage Daily News - Anchorage,AK,USA
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - A state lab in Anchorage is ready to join a nationwide effort to detect early on whether a deadly bird flu virus has reached the North …

Bird flu worries prompt new Alaska animal test law
Reuters India - Mumbai,India
… and wild birds during the summer and fall providing timely results from Alaska, the focus of much of the federal government’s bird flu surveillance efforts.

=====================================

By ANNE SUTTON, The Associated Press
Published: June 13, 2006

The Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Health Laboratory was certified last week to test for avian influenza in what will be thousands of fecal and intestinal track samples collected from wild and domestic birds around the state this year.

The National Animal Health Laboratory Network approved the lab, making it one of 47 state-funded labs around the country that will conduct the bird flu surveillance testing….

The lab will test for H5 and H7 subtypes of the virus. Any positive results will be sent on to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, for a full analysis to see if it matches the highly pathogenic virus that has killed or led to the slaughter of millions of birds in Europe, Asia and Africa….

In announcing the certification today, Gov. Frank Murkowski also signed into law a measure that gives the state veterinarian legal authority to isolate sick animals. Until now, the state has had to depend on the voluntary efforts of animal owners….

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/ap_alaska/story/7854174p-7747963c.html

One of my list-servs I subscribe to for news to share with schoolteachers (see link to side ΣΧ FYI for Sci TEK teachers) is ISEN-ASTC-L a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions. More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org

A posting from today’s issue is

Currently we have on of our exhibit developers, Karen DeSeve up in the Bering Strait, doing work in anticipation of future experiences for the International Polar Year [IPY]

Read the rest of this entry »

This article appeared at the National Indian Health Board site which has a page on flu, http://www.nihb.org/staticpages/ index.php?page=flu, which links to the other Federal sites.

IHS Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist Available (Draft) http://www.nihb.org/article.php?story=20060316194908599
Read the rest of this entry »

Pigs test positive for bird flu in village See comment
19 May 2006

JAKARTA: Pigs have tested positive for bird flu in the same village on Indonesia’s Sumatra island where five people have been confirmed infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, a minister said….

The H5N1 virus is endemic in much of Indonesia.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3672308a12,00.html

I wanted some confirmation of this newstory before posting. As those of you who have educated yourselves on influenza know, moving from ducks into pigs can be significant.

Here is what ProMED has to say–
- —

ProMED-mail

[Serological or other evidence for the possible current involvement of pigs in the epidemiology of HPAI H5N1 in Indonesia deserve to be carefully analysed and confirmed by a reference laboratory.

An official notification, sent by the Indonesian Veterinary Services to the OIE on 23 May 2005 (see 20050601.1526), said that H5N1 AI virus was detected in nasal swabs from clinically sound pigs in 2 locations within the Tangerang district, Banten province, West Java. Out of 26 swabs sampled
on 23 Feb 2005, 14 Apr 2005 and 26 Apr 2005, 12 were reportedly found positive. It further stated that “partial stamping out” was “to be undertaken.”

Thus far, no clinical cases in pigs have been reported from Indonesia. - Mod.AS]

Dear colleague,

As you will be aware, the H5N1 bird flu virus is spreading, and the human flu pandemic it could trigger will hit developing countries the hardest. This week SciDev.Net launches a new BIRD FLU DOSSIER to keep you up to date on the latest information on H5N1 and developing nations.

The new dossier contains — and will be regularly updated with — news, features, opinions and editorials focusing on the spread of the H5N1 virus, and efforts to prepare for a human flu pandemic.

It will also contain the internet’s most comprehensive bird flu glossary and links to relevant reports, articles, websites and organisations. This includes free access to the latest relevant research papers appearing in the journals Science and Nature.

To visit the bird flu dossier click here:
http://www.scidev.net/birdflu

SciDev.Net has been reporting on bird flu since 2003 and has created this dossier because of the urgent need for policymakers to make informed decisions, for scientists to share their findings, and for the media to communicate the pandemic threat in a measured and accurate manner.

Highlights of the dossier include:

Read the rest of this entry »

The State of Influenza
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/312/5772/379

The rapid spread of H5N1 avian influenza has raised global concern about the prospect of a human influenza pandemic, and preparing for such a crisis poses a great challenge to both scientists and policy makers. In a special section of the 21 Apr 2006 issue, Science examined the current picture of influenza, including News reports on antivirals and vaccines, Review and Perspective articles on flu transmission and prevention, and an Editorial underscoring the need for faster and more robust tests to diagnose infection. Three new research papers looked at how seasonal flu epidemics spread and how aspects of H5N1 virus biology may contribute to infection and transmissibility. A special online portal ( http://www.sciencemag.org/marketing/influenza/ ) offered access to previous Science articles that provide additional perspective on the flu crisis, as well as three articles from the Science Classic archive dating from 1918 and 1919 that provide contemporary thoughts on the great 1918 flu pandemic. Finally, a special podcast devoted to influenza featured interviews with Science News writers and scientists on topics related to the special section ( http://www.sciencemag.org/about/podcast.dtl ).

I believe that most articles will be publicly (non-member) accessible.

This is the translation into English of the interagency flyer (A Few Facts about Avian Influenza in Alaska, a.k.a.  Avian Influenza "Bird Flu" Facts

http://ykalaska.uniblogs.org/2006/03/21/ a-few-facts-about-avian-influenza-in-alaska/

The flyer itself is in a pdf file, but this linked photo may still be readable and easier to email. (Let me know, please.) The links to the original pdf files on the state website are currently broken.

This is the newly released translation into Yup'ik of the interagency flyer (A Few Facts about Avian Influenza in Alaska - http://ykalaska.uniblogs.org/2006/03/21/ a-few-facts-about-avian-influenza-in-alaska/)

The flyer itself is in a pdf file, but this linked photo may still be readable and easier to email. (Let me know, please.)

Technorati Tags: H5N1, bird flu, Yup’ik, Bethel Alaska, Kuskokwim

http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/OC/avianinfluenza.html

This website is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

The Ornithological Council recognizes the growing interest in avian influenza as a potentially serious problem for birds and people. The purpose of this page is to provide links to sites that seek to provide current information about this emerging issue.

The Ornithological Council’s purposes are to:
* Link the scientific community with public and private decision-makers
* Provide timely information about birds to help ensure scientifically-based decisions, policies, and management actions
* Inform ornithologists of proposals and actions that affect birds or the study of birds
* Speak for scientific ornithology on public policy issues

They include a link to Canada’s National Wildlife Research Centre, Wildlife Diseases Precautions (”Biosafety Practices”) when handling wild birds
http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/nwrc-cnrf/ default.asp?lang=en&n=85DA56D5

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/
US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/
US government portal, One stop access to U.S. Government avian and pandemic flu information. Managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Avian Influenza” World Health Organization, South-East Asia
http://w3.whosea.org/EN/ Section10/Section1027.htm

Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre Wildlife Diseases
“Avian Influenza and Migratory Birds”
http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/ nwrc-cnrf/ default.asp?lang=En&n=FAD35B22-0
Related links
* General information on avian influenza in birds
* Public health information on avian influenza
* Biosafety information on avian influenza
* For more information
Canadian Wildlife Service
Tel: (819) 997-1095
cws-scf@ec.gc.ca

Environment Canada
(819) 997-2800 or 1-800-668-6767
enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is also responsible for inspecting public facilities for sanitary conditions. There webpages have excellent resources, guides, stickers, cards, etc. They also have training sessions for food handlers. Their Dos and Don’ts for temprary food service (church suppers, schools, potlucks, carnivals, etc.) has good ideas for everyday use at home, too.

Dos and Don’ts
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/eh/fss/establishments/dosdonts.htm

Home Food Safety 1-87-SAFE-FOOD or 269-7501
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/eh/fss/consumers/homesafety.htm

The keywords or tags below can be used on any search engine (Yahoo, Ask, Google) or literature search. They seem to be the standard terms by which people are identifying the current references. If you run across some quite specific terms which can be used to narrow down the search results, please add them below in comments.
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This comes from the National Defense University, Center for Technology and National Security Policy (CTNSP). Both posters are in the recommended grouping, along with the Getting Sick Stinks.

Bird Flu & You: A Quick Guide to Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Bird (Pandemic) Flu
Read the rest of this entry »

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

These business card sized information cards take up less scarce bulletin board space than flyers and less counter or desk space. They are cheaper to mail out, too.

These are MS Word files with information formatted for standard business cards, Avery Label 5762.

This file has the front information.
Bird Flu card front

This file has the backside information, websites to start with.
Bird Flu card back

Let me know of any changes needed.

In addition to describing hoaxes and chain letters found on the Internet, we will discuss how to recognize hoaxes, what to do about them, and some of the history of hoaxes on the Internet.

http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/

http://snopes.com/

Hoaxbusters has references to other sites including Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Health & Social Services > Public Health > Preparedness Program > Pandemic Influenza

Pandemic Influenza Information
http://www.pandemicflu.alaska.gov/