Health officials prepare for flu pandemic

By Doug Nadvornick, Spokane Public Radio

Spokane Regional Health District officials are already preparing the community response to an Avian flu pandemic, if one ever emerges here.

Health Officer Dr. Kim Thorburn Wednesday held the first in a series of community meetings at the health district building.

Thorburn knows the H-5-N-1 Avian flu strain might never arrive in the Inland Northwest, but then, maybe it will. If it does, she says it will take a community-wide effort to handle all of the potential problems. Representatives of police agencies, hospitals and schools have joined Thorburn to start planning now before the virus hits.

Thorburn says she plans to hold quarterly meetings with community leaders.

“And our hope is that we will set up today subcommittees of these various sectors that will come together. We’ll work to coordinate the subcommittees and we will come out of this with better community preparation to deal with a pandemic, should it occur.”

Last fall, she says health district officials conducted a mass vaccination exercise at the Fairgrounds, to practice in case flu vaccines are available.

Thorburn says health officials will also communicate with the public about how families can prepare themselves for a possible pandemic.