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DPH plans awareness campaign on bird flu
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Posted on Apr 05 2006
The Department of Public Health will launch a public awareness campaign on bird flu in the next two weeks.
DPH medical director Richard Brostrom said the hospital has been working to put an avian flu preparedness plan in place. This contingency plan, as well as other specific information on bird flu, will be communicated to the public through an awareness campaign that will officially begin in two weeks.
DPH is expected to meet with government agencies, businesses, media, and other community members to discuss bird flu readiness.
Brostrom, however, made a brief presentation on the topic at yesterday’s Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting.
In his presentation, the DPH official provided an overview of the bird flu and its current status. He assured the attending businessmen that the virus currently affects mostly birds and should not be cause for alarm, as it does not spread from human to human.
He added that medical personnel have been trained to respond to a possible pandemic and medications have been purchased.
In January 2006, the Commonwealth hosted a Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Regional Strategic Planning Meeting, which included health officials from the CNMI, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau, American Samoa, Independent State of Samoa, Fiji School of Medicine, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
The two-day conference was sponsored by the U.S. Office of Insular Affairs and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Agnes E. Donato)
