Res19 15781 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

D.5 Pandemic The goal of the City of Redwood City (City) Influenza Pandemic Annex is to enhance the ability of City officials to continue to deliver essential services through City departments during an influenza pandemic/public health emergency and protect the health and welfare of its employees and their families. The Pandemic Annex seeks to ensure continuity of essential government services during a public health emergency by achieving pre -designed coordination among City departments and the elected and administrative authorities of the City. SITUATION AND ASSUMPTIONS An Influenza Pandemic may occur when a novel subtype of Influenza A emerges. Required conditions regarding the virus include: • Humans have no or little immunity • Causes moderate to severe illness (virulence) • Is transmittable easily from person to person (contagiousness) • Vaccines to prevent the illness are not available. Pandemic influenza occurred three times in the 20th century. In 1918 the subtype H1N1 (Spanish Flu) emerged and caused a severe pandemic that is referred to as the deadliest disease event in human history, with nearly 40 million deaths worldwide. In 1957 the emergence of influenza subtype H2N2 (Asian Flu) caused 70,000 U.S. deaths, and in 1968 the emergence of H3N2 (Hong Kong Flu) caused an estimated 34,000 U.S. deaths. Most public health experts agree that it is inevitable that an influenza pandemic will occur again. ASSUMPTIONS The City Pandemic Influenza Plan is based on the following planning assumptions provided as guidance by Federal, State and county public health authorities: • A new pandemic will be due to a new subtype of Influenza A • Emergence of a new subtype is inevitable • The event will be global but the emergency will be local • Seasonality cannot be predicted with certainty • Susceptibility to the new subtype will be universal • Efficient and sustained person-to-person transmission signals an imminent pandemic • The virus will have the ability to spread worldwide • A novel virus could first emerge anywhere but most likely to emerge in the Far East • Planning should be geared towards the more severe scenario (1918 Model) • The pandemic has the potential to overwhelm health care, hospitals, mortuary systems, as well as disrupt commerce and economic activity • Risk groups cannot be predicted with certainty • Clinical disease attack rates are likely to be 30% or higher D-22