iga pere vajab oma pandeemiaplaani ..
Friday was the Rhode Island State Summit.
If a flu pandemic develops around the world, each community will have to cope on its own, Michael O. Leavitt, U.S. secretary of health and human services, warned Rhode Island officials yesterday.
The entire nation will be affected, so the federal government will not be able to marshal help from other areas. "Every community will have to rely on its own resources," Leavitt told an overflow crowd of hundreds of Rhode Islanders at the Crowne Plaza hotel.
"Every state needs a plan. Every tribe needs a plan. Every school, every business, every church, every family needs a plan," Leavitt said.
Leavitt's visit to Rhode Island was his fifth stop in a tour he plans to take to every state to push for action on pandemic-flu planning. He spoke unflinchingly of what would happen if there were a worldwide pandemic like the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed 40 million people.
"Pandemics are world-changing events," he said. A flu virus of similar strength to the 1918 flu would sicken 90 million Americans and kill 2 million. Even the healthy would be affected, because there would be fewer people able to stock grocery shelves, deliver fuel oil, care for the sick or provide other services.
If a pandemic arrives, Leavitt said, "We're not going to be able to stop it. Our preparation is to try to limit its impact.
"We may be the first generation in human history . . . that has had the opportunity to do something about it in advance." link