Pandemic Flu Preparedness

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What You Need To Know

By Shauna S. Roberts, PhD

This article originally appeared in the October 2006 issue of Diabetes Forecast, pages 23–25.

Additional Resources Tips for Disaster Preparedness Medical Advice for People with Diabetes in Emergency Situations (PDF) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Federal Emergency Management Agency US Department of Homeland Security US Department of Health and Human Services

GOOD DIABETES care means keeping careful watch over your blood glucose levels, eating and exercising appropriately, and understanding how best to manage any complications that might affect you. But it also means recognizing problems that could pose a threat to you, and being properly prepared for the unexpected.

This is the time of year when many people are thinking about the flu, and while flu shots are important lines of defense for people with diabetes, there's another kind of flu that's important to understand.

"Pandemic flu" occurs when a new flu virus infects many people around the world. Pandemic flu does not occur every time that a new flu virus arises among people. Instead, the new flu virus must meet two more conditions before it will cause major illness worldwide:

• It makes people very sick.
• It spreads easily from person to person.

Pandemic flu is unpredictable. Unlike regular flu, which tends to occur in fall and winter, pandemic flu can strike at any time of the year, and it may occur in waves. Also, the people most at risk from regular flu--which includes people with diabetes--are not always the people hit hardest by pandemic flu.
Pandemic flu doesn't strike very often. But understanding how it works--and how to stay prepared for it--could provide you with important lines of defense should you need them.

The 1918 Flu Pandemic

In 1918, people around the globe became ill with a deadly bird flu virus. (Pandemics often involve a virus that originates in birds or other animals.) Cities turned into ghost towns as churches, schools, and businesses closed their doors and people stayed inside to avoid infection. In hard-hit Philadelphia, 11,000 people died in just one month. Corpses piled up in the streets, and a lack of gravediggers forced people to bury their own family members.

By the time the virus had run its course, 500 million people had been sickened by it--one-third of the people on Earth. About 50 million people died. Half of the victims were healthy young people.

Since 1918, there have been two milder flu pandemics, one in 1957 and one in 1968.

Bird Flu

The bird flu you've heard so much about recently is a new flu virus called type A H5N1. It has infected millions of birds in 50 countries. Although only 200-some people have caught it, about half have died. Scientists worry that this new virus could cause a pandemic to rival that of 1918.

So far, bird flu has met only two of the three conditions needed for a pandemic. Although it infects humans and makes them very sick, it isn't easily passed between people. Almost everyone who's had bird flu touched a bird or bird feces. Scientists are working on vaccines and drugs for bird flu.
A flu vaccine must be tailored to the specific virus that causes that variety of flu, making it tricky for scientists to prepare an effective vaccine before a pandemic starts. Also, making large quantities of vaccine takes time. Even with current technologies, there won't be enough vaccine ready in time to vaccinate many--or even most--people if bird flu causes a pandemic. As a result, people must rely on two steps discussed below: avoiding infection and preparing for a temporary breakdown of society.

The future of the bird flu cannot be predicted. It may die down and never be a problem for people. In fact, some signs suggest bird flu is waning in previous hotbeds such as Thailand and Vietnam.

Still, flu pandemics are a fact of life. Until there is a way to prevent all flu or cure it, flu pandemics will occur every few decades.

Prepare For Pandemic Flu

Disasters can occur anywhere, at anytime. Even if bird flu fizzles out, all Americans should stay ready to fend for themselves. People with diabetes and others who take medications need to prepare extra carefully.

The Red Cross and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made a list of what should be in your disaster kit. You can find it at . Essentials include a first-aid kit, food and water for your family and pets, flashlights and batteries, medicines, bleach, and garbage bags with ties. These organizations also offer advice on storing water and food at the Web site.

Never let medicines run low. Refill prescriptions as soon as your drug plan allows you to so that you always have a back-up supply.
Stay informed about the flu. You can get information from newspapers, TV, and radio; from your doctor; at www.pandemicflu.gov; and from the CDC hotline, 1-800-232-4636.

In May 2006, President Bush announced a plan for preparing for a bird flu pandemic. The plan advises people that everyday life could be disrupted. Many kinds of businesses and government offices could shut down, just as in 1918. You may need to care for sick people. You should plan ahead for these possibilities. For example:

• Think about how to care for sick and elderly relatives and neighbors if the services they need, such as hospitals and drugstores, are closed.
• Talk to your company about possibly working from home.
• Make sure you have enough money saved in case your company closes or you are too sick to work.
• Have activities for children to do while they're stuck at home.
• Decide how you'll get around if the subway or buses aren't running.
• Stock up on food and water.
• Practice good hygiene.
• Practice healthy habits. Eat a good diet, drink lots of water, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
  

Shauna S. Roberts, PhD, is a science writer in Riverside, Calif.