MAHONING COUNTY Officials plan meeting on bird-flu preparation

So far, the avian flu virus is not being passed from person to person.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Local health and emergency management agencies say they are working on a plan to aggressively combat the bird flu should it evolve into a human disease and hit the Mahoning Valley.
The Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency and the Mahoning County District Board of Health, lead agencies in the preparedness effort, are planning a mid-April meeting of community leaders who will make decisions and provide service should the feared bird flu pandemic become a reality here.
A pandemic is a widespread disease outbreak involving many individuals.
What is occurring now is a pandemic among birds, said Dr. Lawrence Frisch, medical director for the Mahoning County District Board of Health.
Health professionals, elected officials, school leaders, safety services personnel, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Help Hotline, pharmacists, agriculture officials, and business and community leaders will be invited to the April meeting, said Walter Duzzny, the county's EMA director.
Discussion topics
Duzzny said the topics of discussion for the April meeting, the date of which has not been set, include: identify training that is being/has been received relevant to a flu pandemic, identify essential personnel allowed to move around during a quarantine to operate and determine the appropriate use of quarantine and isolation.
"We're preparing for the worst and hoping for the best," Duzzny said.
Concern and preparation are reasonable, responsible reactions to the bird flu at this point, Dr. Frisch said.
"We know that the avian flu is spreading widely among birds in the world, but is not at this point spreading from person to person, and not significantly from birds to people," said Dr. Frisch, who also is an associate professor of community health sciences at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown.
"With very few exceptions, humans who have gotten sick with the bird flu were involved in slaughtering birds or handling sick birds," Dr. Frisch said.
There is no more evidence that there will be a bird flu pandemic among people than there was six months ago. Still, Dr. Frisch said, the bird flu has tremendous potential for harm to humans. It could turn out to be the biggest human event of the century.
Possible scenarios
There are three potential scenarios, Dr. Frisch said.
UOne, the bird virus develops extra genes and affects regular flu viruses and bird virus at the same time. From there, all it would take is one genetic exchange to quickly produce a virus that could cause catastrophic illness in humans.
UTwo, the bird virus evolves gradually and moves a step at a time toward people. That is a better scenario for humans because there would be more time to prepare, to find an outbreak, and control it.
UAnd three, the bird virus might remain a bird disease and not seriously affect humans.
Dr. Frisch offered some reasons for optimism even if the bird flu becomes a widespread danger to humans.
"Scientists reacted brilliantly to SARS [severe acute respiratory syndrome] and the HIV viruses, quickly recognizing a new disease and virus, figuring out what it was and how it was spread. As a result, we were able to control it," Dr. Frisch said.
SARS was recognized as a global threat in March 2003 after first appearing in Southern China in November 2002.
"We may or may not have same success with avian flu. But, if it turns out this disease takes one of the nasty paths, we will have the same very able, experienced people working on it," Dr. Frisch added.
Common-sense advice
Beyond using common sense, Dr. Frisch said there is nothing at this point the average person can do to protect themselves from avian flu should it become a reality in humans.
All meats, including poultry, should be well cooked, and hands and utensils should be carefully washed after handling raw meats. That's old -- and good -- advice, he said.
Also, Dr. Frisch said, it is always a good idea to have family food and water for two or three weeks.
"There are a lot more disruptions possible besides epidemic illness that could leave us on our own," he added.
alcorn@vindy.com