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Washington State Department of Health
Preparing for pandemic influenza:
A Washington State Overview
Print version in PDF
Planning Challenges
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“Most people don’t realize
how devastating a flu pandemic could be. We must have plans
in place to meet the challenges and protect the health of
people in our state. We’ve done some good work, but
we have a lot more to do.”
-- Mary C. Selecky
Washington Secretary of Health |
The Department of Health and the state Division of Emergency
Management are the lead agencies for statewide public health
emergencies.
There are many challenges in preparing for an influenza pandemic.
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Tracking and monitoring the spread of disease requires coordination
and communication among cities, states and nations.
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It will take months to develop a vaccine effective in fighting a new
flu virus.
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Antiviral medications currently used to reduce the effects of
seasonal flu may not be effective against a new virus.
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The extraordinary demand for medical care during a pandemic would
have a severe impact on hospitals and health care professionals.
Because pandemics often arrive in “waves” of six to eight weeks
duration, hospitals have to be prepared to handle a large influx or
surge of patients for extended periods of time.
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Everyone would be affected, from disruption of basic services to
school closures.
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Accurate and timely information about the course of the pandemic and
precautions/ treatments must be available to everyone. This would
require ongoing coordination between government officials and media
outlets, such as radio, television, newspapers and the Internet.
This overview describes ongoing efforts in the state of Washington
to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic flu outbreak. It
outlines the many challenges involved, the work to meet those
challenges, and how people can help protect themselves.
Next page: Tracking and monitoring
disease
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