Lee County EMA, Health Department host pandemic flu preparedness exercise

Representatives from schools, government, volunteer organizations, law enforcement, medicine, industry and other groups spent half a day May 9 pondering how Lee County would respond to and recover from a disease outbreak that could sicken thousands, reduce the available workforce by as much as 50 percent, overwhelm resources and claim as many as two dozen lives within a three-week span.

"We came together to identify gaps in Lee County's pandemicinfluenza plan and to strengthen our ability to cope with a severe disease or other emergency," explained Lee County Health Department Director Dana Hager. "This exercise used aforced decision-making framework, in which participants were presented with a scenario and required to make tough decisions on thingslike whether schools should close, and if so, when and who makes the call."

The exercise was held from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Lee County Library.
Interim Emergency Management Agency/Fire Department Chief James Howell praised the widespread community participation. “We had excellent representation from across the board. The discussion was positive. Learning more about pandemics and thinking through the actions we as a community would need to take to get through one will better prepare us to handle any disaster,” he said. “We may not experience a pandemic any time soon – but maybe we will experience another flood, or a tornado. The planning we are doing won’t go to waste.”

Healthcare experts across the globe, warning that pandemics come in cycles, say that for the first time in history, humans have an opportunity to get ready before the illness hits. “That gives us a chance to limit its ability to spread. Pandemic influenza is different from regular seasonal flu because it is a virus that hasn’t been found before in humans, so we don’t have any built-in immunity to it,” Hager said. The virulence and rapid speed of a pandemic can disrupt society worldwide.

"In a pandemic, everyone will be in the same boat," said Howell. "That means we won't be able to call on other communities for mutual aid, like we can do with an emergency like a hurricane or a big explosion. Nobody will be available to help us. We need to be able to take care of our own."

Of the three pandemics that have occurred in the 20th century so far, the “Spanish flu” of 1918 was by far the worst, said Julie Miller, the emergency preparedness director for Southwest Public Health District. Her team helped organize and present the preparedness exercise.

"Between September 14, 1918 and October 5, 1918, the Spanish flu spread across the United States and killed an estimated 550,000 people. Millions died worldwide," Miller said. "We don't know if the next pandemic will be a form of influenza or some other illness, but we do know that whatever it is, we will not have a ready-made vaccine for it. It will take weeks for scientists to come up with a vaccine tailored to combat it. Also, antivirals will be in short supply and of only limited use. Our best defense, therefore, will be to use containment measures."

Hager said during a pandemic, people will be asked to practice basic respiratory hygiene procedures, including hand-washing and covering coughs and sneezes. “Public health will also recommend people stay home when they are sick. In some situations, we may ask people to wear masks. And we will urge communities to adopt isolation, quarantine and social distancing policies that will limit social interaction and exposure.”

Social distancing would affect how residents live, work, play and worship, she stressed. “What we are talking about is canceling public gatherings, such as schools and sporting events. People might be asked to telecommute, to stagger times they go shopping or to work in a setting that keeps them at least six feet apart to make it harder for the disease to spread from person to person. We anticipate hospitals to run out of beds. It will be very important to know how to provide care at home for sick family members.”

Planners warned that a severe pandemic would have a significant economic impact in Lee County, in Georgia, in the United States and across the globe. Stashing supplies at home, developing family communication plans and staying informed about health and safety issues will help Lee County ride out disasters and return to normalcy more quickly, the experts said.

"We hope residents here will develop some preparedness strategies for themselves and their families," Miller said. "We also hope the private sector, government and community groups in Lee County will come up with continuity of operations plans."

For more information about pandemic preparedness, contact the Lee County Health Department, the Lee County Emergency Management Agency or visit the Southwest Georgia Public Health District Web page, www.southwestgeorgiapublichealth.org, go to the “home” drop-down menu at the top of the page and select the Preparedness category.