HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 6/7/2016 - Article From Centre Daily News From Wade Troxell Entitled � Penn State Health Professional Looking To Implement Infectious Disease Plan In Centre Region� Re: May 31 Lpt Follow Up - Wnv UpdatePenn State health professional looking to implement infectious disease plan
in Centre Region
BY LORI FALCE
lfalce@centredaily.com
It’s always good to be prepared for an emergency. Fire, blackout, snowstorm,
flood. It’s good to expect the unexpected.
But what if the unexpected is a little more mundane? What if it’s as simple as the
flu?
Shelley Haffner says the littlest things can become big problems without a good
plan.
That’s why she wants to see an infectious disease plan put in place for the Centre
Region.
A manager for infectious diseases and professional development at Penn State’s
University Health Services, Haffner says she was studying for her master’s in
homeland security’s public health preparedness option through the World
Campus when she realized the need.
Things like the current Zika threat or the 2015 Ebola outbreak get a lot of
attention, but Haffner said the threat doesn’t have to be that exotic.
“Zika is certainly something we have to look out for but for me, I’m looking at
things worse than that,” she said.
That’s where the flu comes in.
“We know that in 2009, we went through an influenza pandemic,” Haffner said.
That was the year thousands were hit by the H1N1 strain of swine flu. Almost 100
years ago, millions died in the global Spanish flu pandemic.
June 2, 2016
TO: City Councilmembers
FROM: Mayor Wade Troxell
RE: May 31 LPT Follow Up - WNV
Update /sek
“If we get to a good human-to-human transmission point, influenza could be
deadly,” Haffner said. “We should be always looking at anything happening in the
world.”
Penn State, after all, has a global population. Students and faculty come from,
and go to, every corner of the map to study and research.
Then there are the more localized threats, things like norovirus or salmonella,
something foodborne or passed skin-to-skin.
“Infection control is important. In a university town, it’s an omnipresent
concern,” said Steve Bair, of Centre Region Council of Governments. “It’s very
important to the community.”
The state recognizes the need to plan for more than just tornadoes and active
shooter scenarios. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has a lot of
plans in place, including influenza and highly infectious animal diseases.
Haffner wants something more general, with the flexibility to adapt to the needs
of different threats. That’s what is being talked about as she works with the
university’s emergency management office and CRCOG.
A big part of the plan, no matter the outbreak, would be information.
“For instance, norovirus, we know, is highly infectious. It would be getting the
message out to clean your hands, if you’re sick stay away from others, etc.
Preventive strategies we can use to prevent and bring it under control quickly,”
Haffner said.
At the same time, another important step would be keeping bad information from
taking over.
“If we have an outbreak in the community, people need to be paying attention to
public health announcements from reputable sources, not just things on the
internet that may or may not be correct,” Haffner said.
Bair says COG and the university have worked together on similar projects in the
past.
“Penn State and COG are joint partners. The two are absolutely linked,” he said.
For medical emergencies, he says, the goals are simple.
“Screen it. Prevent it. Find it. Treat it,” he said.
Haffner said good planning isn’t just for government agencies and large
institutions.
“This is something everybody should be doing,” she said. “The government’s
ready.gov has great information about emergency preparedness, but the response
begins at an individual level.”
Lori Falce: 814-235-3910, @LoriFalce
Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-
state/article80734147.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-state/article80734147.html