CMA Participates in Flu Pandemic Planning Workgroup
[Posted 06/16/05]

Amid concerns that the avian influenza virus could mutate into a strain that is lethal to humans, public health officials around the world have begun to prepare for the possibility of a global flu pandemic. According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a flu pandemic could result in 1.6 million hospital admissions and 260,000 fatalities in California alone.

In preparation for what some see as an inevitable pandemic, CDC has mandated—and funded—state pandemic preparedness planning efforts, including California’s Influenza Pandemic Planning Workgroup. CMA is an active participant in this workgroup, which meets regularly to discuss related public health issues, including vaccine prioritization and antiviral usage.

Last year’s flu vaccine shortage provided a real-life experiment in vaccine prioritization, demonstrating the need for a better system for vaccine distribution (including shipping, distributing, storage). The shortage also emphasized the need for better communication in the event of a public health crisis, such as a pandemic influenza outbreak. The group has discussed the need for a coordinated system for disseminating critical public health information to providers, consumers, and the media.

CMA will provide periodic status reports from the pandemic planning workgroup in future issues of CMA Alert.

Contact: Robin Flagg, 415/882-5110 or rflagg@cmanet.org.