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In some ways, the recent news events surrounding a case of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) impact all of us. Although the likelihood of a case of XDR-TB ever reaching our town is remote, these events bring to mind some important issues which we very well may face at some point in the future. What if a dangerous and highly-contagious infection were to hit home? How prepared are we? How would we respond as a community? As families? As individuals? The purpose of this commentary is not to alarm or to instruct, but instead to provide a
framework around which individuals can start thinking about their own preparedness plans. After all, we are ineffective as a community unless we are informed and prepared as individuals.
The possibility that, at some time in the future, we might face an influenza pandemic such as the one that killed an estimated 675,000 Americans in 1918 is one that we cannot ignore. Pandemics like this tend to occur in a cyclic fashion; some experts contend that we’re overdue. Many people in the fields of public health and epidemiology feel as though the question we should be asking ourselves is not “if?” but, rather “when?” As frightening as these notions may seem, there are many ways in which we can prepare ourselves in the event that such a pandemic occurs. We should examine our history and learn from it. And we should communicate.
The Redding-Bethel Panflu Planning Committee is an alliance of community leaders, public health officials, nurses, members of the business community and nurses from the two towns who have been meeting monthly to discuss issues surrounding pandemic preparedness. The meetings have been interesting, productive and, at times, disconcerting. We are in the process of developing action plans which can be implemented quickly and efficiently in the event of a pandemic, and the project is ongoing. We have had guidance from a variety of instructional resources, both private and public. Residents of Bethel and Redding should feel confident that we are doing all that we can on behalf of our communities in order to remain prepared. However, much of the responsibility for preparedness rests with community members themselves. We are attempting to come up with effective ways in which we can inform members of the community as to the importance of preparedness at the individual level. This is
one such attempt.
We encourage you to talk with each other, to think about some reasonable steps everyone can take, and to consider some disturbing but important questions. For instance, what would happen if the man who plows your driveway in the winter got sick with the flu? Would you be able to get out to the grocery store to buy food for your family? What if the store was forced to close because many employees were sick or afraid to go to work for fear of being exposed to illness? What if you had enough food in the house to last a couple of weeks, but the stove didn’t work because gas or electric utilities were closed for business? Do you have water to drink if your well pump loses power? How could we help our homebound neighbors? How might our own fear of being exposed to illness impact our behavior toward
others? How should we expect others to respond to those same fears?
We hope to discourage you from avoiding these types of questions because they cause discomfort; it is precisely because they cause discomfort that they need to be asked. The issues are complex, and we should discuss them. If we do, the events of 1918 are much less likely to repeat themselves, even in the event of another pandemic. It may never happen, but if it does, don’t we owe it to ourselves to be prepared?
Please note the "Community Emergency News Letter" insert in this edition of the Pilot, which will provide some beneficial emergency preparedness information.
For further information on pandemic flu preparedness at the local, state and federal levels, please visit the following websites:
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