Pandemic Flu Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pandemic Flu - Essay Example Symptoms of avian influenza differ from those of other common types of influenza, and they also can change dependant on the cause of infection. There is a danger that avian flu virus mutation can lead to mass spread of pandemic among humans, so intensive studies and research of the virus are being held. HHS, the World Health Organization and other establishments are working hard to prevent avian flu spread around the world. Federal, state and local governments give clear information about avian flu which can help people to held appropriate measures to prevent it. Business activity can also play appropriate role in pandemic infection prevention. People should be ready for appropriate actions in case of pandemic flu: strict plans for schools, community organizations, individuals, families are developed. The WHO and European Commission are providing global monitoring of the situation: they give statistics, rapid response information, official reports on test results and many others. USG S, National Wildlife Health Center and U.S. Department of Agriculture are also providing United States Monitoring of the situation. Specific groups of the population, such as workers, travelers, hunters, health professionals are informed about possible action in appropriate cases. Full range of appropriate measures is clearly determined. Different situations are concerned which would occur in case of pandemic flu, such as impossibility to work, social disruption, schools closure, transportation services disruption; people should be well informed and be ready for possible inconveniences. HHS has developed a detailed instruction for people traveling abroad - it will help them to prevent infection. But one of the most important issues concerning an effective protection from pandemic flu is vaccination. Everybody can take appropriate information from State Departments of Agriculture, Wildlife and Public Health. Unfortunately there is no sufficient vaccine which could prevent pandemic fl u development in human body and its spread around the world, but the U.S. President George W. Bush has allocated great amount of financial resources which will help to conduct appropriate studies and research in this field. But the virus is constantly changing its own structure, and its mutations are rather resistant against current drugs - so, intensive medical research should be conducted for testing and approbation of new antiviral means. It needs to note that current medications testing should be held and accurately evaluated - it should help to estimate possible effects of these means and have a clear notion about possible consequences of these medicines for human body. In addition to that, infection mechanism should be attentively studied: humans are rarely infected by H5N1, but pandemic flu can be a serious threat for people with weakened immunity. So, it is necessary to study the wildfowl and poultry avian flu mechanism. The virus spreading threatens poultry farming and many agricultural sectors connected with poultry and mammals. So, Interagency Screening Plan was adopted to monitor birds' migrations throughout the United States. Appropriate measures for protecting poultry, pets and people exposed to animals are adopted. It is planned to investigate disease-outbreak cases in birds, to increase monitoring of live wild birds and birds