Yale U plans for potential flu outbreak

[Guest guest]

is that plan public or secret ?

[Guest guest]

Campus plans for potential flu outbreak

Katz, Staff Reporter

Yale is currently developing an emergency response plan in case of an

outbreak of avian flu, University officials said Wednesday.

The Office of the Secretary, which manages the University's emergency

operations, has been working on the plan since this summer, Deputy

Secretary Martha Highsmith said. The office has convened meetings

with Yale dining, facilities and security officials as well as

campus, city and state health experts to formulate its details.

Since a worldwide avian flu outbreak might affect many people both on

and off campus, it is important that the University be prepared,

Highsmith said.

" There are lots of different scenarios about how bad an avian flu

outbreak could be, " she said. " The cases that have appeared, mostly

in parts of Asia, have been very serious. We want to be prepared if

we want to face anything like that. "

In drafting their proposal, University officials have studied the

1918 flu pandemic, since it is the only scenario available, Highsmith

said. But a flu outbreak today would be different from that of 1918,

mainly because the disease would travel faster and there are more

effective ways to treat it, she said.

University Health Services Director Genecin said UHS has

formulated a hypothetical planning model similar to that of the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The model assumes that

approximately 25 percent of people would become ill to different

degrees, Genecin said.

" We have developed a plan, and we continue to develop it for

providing a considerable amount of medical care to people on campus

in a kind of clinical facility that we would be able to commission

quickly using one of the athletic facilities as a space, " Genecin

said.

The facility would be able to accommodate about 150 people, and the

level of treatment would be less than intensive care, he said. The

model assumes a limited capacity of Yale-New Haven Hospital to expand

care since the hospital is normally stretched to its limits, Genecin

said.

Yale is also considering other issues that might arise if an avian

flu outbreak occurs, including whether students would be sent home or

sporting events would be cancelled, Highsmith said. University

officers will discuss the plan in the coming weeks, she said.

Dining Services Executive Director Don McQuarrie said the department

would provide support services in the event of an outbreak.

" We will provide food services to the various groups that remain on

campus and provide support to the triage centers that Health Services

would set up in remote locations, " McQuarrie said.

Dining Services would also be responsible for feeding the regular

medical centers, he said. The meals would be produced in Commons and

delivered at specific times, McQuarrie said.

, spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, said that although the H5N1 avian influenza virus - a

subtype of the influenza A virus - currently does not have the

capacity to spread easily from person to person, preparations by

universities for a potential pandemic are logical.

" It's impossible to predict whether the current avian influenza virus

will ever mutate into a form that could cause a pandemic, " said

in an e-mail. " However, most experts agree that there will likely be

another pandemic at some point. It makes sense that colleges,

communities, hospitals and the general public take steps now so that

we can be as prepared as possible when the next pandemic comes. "

http://www.yaledailynews.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=33169