Students attend local H1N1 forum

This past Monday, several students attended a H1N1 forum presented at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Alonzo Plough, director of emergency preparedness and response for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, was the keynote speaker for the presentation.Event notes are listed below.

Opened with intro of speaker who is well qualified in public health across the nation.

Pandemic Waves are patterns seen throughout history of pandemics but still remain unpredictable.

Pandemic flu preparedness
Planning model revolved around avian flu risk. Existing plans and preparation were adapted towards the swine flu occurrence since last spring.

US as a whole was able to provide a good response as a result of training and preparation.

H1N1 Facts
Incubation 1-4 days.
Adults contagious 24 hours before onset.
Children 4-7 days or even greater than 10 days.

Highest hospitalization rates for kids under 4 years.

Controversy over transmission theory of droplet or respiratory. N95 has become standard precaution.

Older adults less often affected due to circulating virus around 1957.

Mexico outbreak caused difficulty in accurately reporting and tracking cases in Mexico and California due to high travel frequency

Strategic national stock pile was rolled out.

LA County
Declared local emergency to eliminate red tape barriers for contracts and positions

10 million residents with half in priority Groups. 80% of vaccinations were supposed to be through normal vaccine channels.

Currently experiencing peak or plateau of new cases being reported.

Event broke into panel with
Director of Riverside County Public Health
Director of Preventative medicine at LLU
Public Health Nurse from San Diego
Public health officer from San bernardino



Q. What is the limitations regarding preventing children from visitations in hospitals?

A. Ph can't tell facilities legally what to do but provide info for facilities to make informed decisions

Q. Number of vaccines 1 2 3?

A. Data coming in shows that younger children may need booster while adults are having efficiency with one shot

Q. Conspiracy Theory of people with negative reaction to vaccine?

A. Info and facts can be presented but ultimately it is up to the individual to determine acceptance.

For more info, please visit http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/