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Pandemic Influenza Plan Development

The H5N1 influenza virus (commonly referred to as the Avian Flu) presents new challenges to the school and business community, especially if it becomes a pandemic influenza in the United States. Many scientist and medical personnel are taking great strides in ensuring that our nation is prepared for a pandemic outbreak of influenza. Generally speaking a pandemic is a global outbreak whereas an epidemic is more localized or regionalized. It is equally important to note that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the seasonal flu has a death toll average of 36,000 people per year and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from complications (www.cdc.gov/flu). So it is very easy to see why an influenza pandemic poses great concern.

Preparing for a pandemic influenza (panflu) outbreak is an extremely daunting task. Common approaches to securing mutual aid assistance and furthering the ability to protect communities will be compounded by an anticipated loss of 30% to 40% of the local workforce (including teachers) and neighboring communities. With that in mind, it is essential that the school community coordinate with other planning groups (such as emergency management and local public health) in preparation of a pandemic outbreak, and establish operational protocols to help guide school planning with common best practices. In other words, how will your school continue to operate when public health officials are urging “distancing” among the population?

With full-time state and international public health experience as well as  extensive state government school safety emergency preparedness experience, Dr. Sony Shepherd has considerable experience in helping school and public health officials develop robust pandemic flu and biological incident plans. Dr. Shepherd worked in the School Safety Project of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency – Office of the Governor, as the State Anti-terrorism Planner for the Terrorism Division of the Georgia Office of Homeland Security, as the State Bioterrorism Exercise Coordinator for the Georgia Division of Public Health and as a Planner for the Centers for Disease Control.  While at the CDC, Dr. Shepherd served as an Incident Support Specialist on the CDC’s Incident Response Team which can deploy to any corner of the world via a special jet in a matter of hours.

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