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Aired January 11, 2006 at 9pm on CBC-TV
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What can I do to prepare myself? Maintain general good health and fitness. A healthy and robust immune system will help protect against infectious diseases, including influenza. Get a flu shot. The annual flu vaccine is not a pandemic vaccine. It is derived from a combination of common human flu viruses. It is not targeted at H5N1, or any other avian flu viruses, but may offer some protection in the event of an influenza pandemic. Educate yourself about proper respiratory hygiene in order to reduce your risk of contracting and transmitting influenza viruses. If you are sick, stay home. If you cough, cover your mouth with a tissue or cough into your elbow to reduce the risk of spreading respiratory viruses. Check with your employer to see if they have a pandemic plan in place to address issues that may arise during a pandemic. Potential challenges could be absenteeism due to illness or fear of contracting the virus, a shortage of essential supplies and increased levels of stress among employees. Many experts predict there will be considerable economic and social disruption if a pandemic happens. There may be shortages of essential goods like food and water. You may want to get some reserves of essential goods, much as you might to prepare for a natural disaster. Further reading:
What can I do to protect myself if a pandemic occurs? Know the symptoms: The symptoms of avian flu infection (including H5N1) in humans are much like those of human influenza. They include muscle aches, fatigue, fever, coughing, sneezing, a sore throat and eye infections. In severe cases, infection may lead to fatal pneumonia, blood disorders and multiple organ failure. It is quite common to be contagious and shedding large amounts of virus for a day or two before you show any symptoms. Influenza symptoms should lessen after five or six days, although coughing and fatigue may continue. All systems should end within a week or two. Keep your distance: The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends the following precautions be taken by the Canadian public during a pandemic: Get a flu shot. The annual flu shot is not a pandemic specific vaccine, but may offer some protection. Wash your hands frequently. Influenza viruses are spread by droplets that are ejected from your respiratory system. In order to catch the flu (including a pandemic flu) you need to have close contact with an infected person, or touch something they have recently coughed or sneezed upon. Washing your hands often will help to rinse away the flu virus before it has a chance to infect you. If you cough, do so into a tissue or your elbow, in order to avoid transmitting the virus to others. Stay home: Practice social distancing. Influenza is highly contagious and during a pandemic you should try to avoid unnecessary contact with others who may be infected. Attendance at large public gatherings such as concerts or sports events is not recommended. If you need to travel to countries that are experiencing – or have recently experienced – outbreaks of human infections of avian flu, you should follow the guidelines recommended in the relevant travel advisories from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the World Health Organization (WHO). See also:
If you are a health-care worker or employee at a hospital you may be at some increased risk of contracting pandemic influenza. A pandemic will not, however, be like SARS, where infections were relatively confined to hospital settings. During a pandemic, the virus will be everywhere and the risk will come from being part of a community. Follow your employer’s recommendations for use of masks and protective wear in the clinical setting. During a pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) will issue official guidelines regarding the appropriate masks to use.
If I was sick during one of the last pandemics (1918-19, 1957 or 1968), does that mean I’ll have immunity to this one? No. By definition, a pandemic is caused by a novel strain of virus to which no one in the world will have prior immunity. Will children and the elderly be at greater risk during a pandemic? Because the next pandemic will be caused by a novel strain of virus, to which the world has no immunity, it is difficult to speculate about the specific characteristics of the disease - and its effect on humans - in advance. Traditionally, human influenza A viruses are especially dangerous for those with less developed or compromised immune symptoms, such as the very young, the elderly or the chronically ill. Those individuals are most at risk for dangerous complications. It is unknown whether or not the next pandemic virus will have a similar infection profile. The 1918 virus which caused the “Spanish Flu” had an unusual profile, it was particularly deadly for the young and the fit.
Are there drugs and vaccines to help fight against pandemic influenza? Vaccines and antiviral drugs represent two different approaches to combating influenza, and are administered and work differently. Vaccines are considered the best defense against becoming ill or dying from the flu. When you get a vaccine, your body responds by producing antibodies to the flu virus (or viruses) used to create it. Once your body has produced the antibodies, you should have continuing immunity from that particular virus, or combination of viruses. Antivirals are drugs that can be used both for the prevention and treatment of the flu. They do not provide immunity from the virus, as vaccines do. When using antiviral drugs to treat illness due to influenza, you must take them within 48 hours after first getting sick. They won’t keep you from getting sick, but should reduce both the duration and symptoms of the illness. The annual vaccine is targeted at human flu, not bird flu. It is not a pandemic vaccine. It is impossible to know for sure, but it may offer some protection. The annual flu shot is composed of the three most prevalent strains of human influenza present in Asia prior to the beginning of flu season in North America. Because flu viruses are constantly changing, it is never a perfect match, but the annual vaccine represents the best educated guess as to what version of the flu will arrive in North America in any given year. In order to become a pandemic virus, an avian flu (like H5N1) must undergo genetic changes that enable it to pass easily from person to person. One of the classic ways this is believed to happen is through a process called “reassortment”, where strains of avian flu and human flu co-mingle within the lungs of a person or animal, resulting in a new hybrid virus containing characteristics of each. A pandemic virus, for example, might keep all of the virulence of bird flu but also acquire the ease of human-to-human transmission of human flu. If the next pandemic virus develops this way, it may contain some of the genetic components of a current human influenza virus. If so, the annual flu shot, which is designed to combat common flu strains, may offer some protection. Public health authorities strongly recommend Canadians get an annual flu shot. It should be considered part of general health maintenance and as well as a wise precaution against the effects of a potential pandemic virus.
Antivirals:What is Tamiflu? Tamiflu is the brand name for the drug oseltamivir, which belongs to a class of drugs called antivirals. Tamiflu is currently used in Canada during the annual flu season to treat severe cases of influenza. Tamiflu works by stopping the virus from bursting out of infected cells, and therefore stopping the cycle of cells becoming continuously infected and the person from infecting other people. If taken within the first 48 hours of becoming ill, Tamiflu can reduce both the duration and severity of symptoms. It only works against influenza A and B viruses. Tamiflu does not work against other viruses or bacteria. Tamiflu is one of the main drugs currently being stockpiled by international government agencies – including the Public Health Agency of Canada – for use as the first line of defence against outbreaks of pandemic influenza. A second antiviral medicine called Relenza will also be used to treat Canadians during a pandemic. During a pandemic, Tamiflu will also prescribed for phrophylactic use, as a preventative measure against becoming infected. In such cases, it will be reserved for designated priority groups: health care workers and essential services personnel, including those in police, fire and ambulance services. Tamiflu can be used to treat severe illness due to influenza for anyone one year of age or older. It can also be used for prophylaxis (prevention) of influenza infection for patients thirteen and above. Tamiflu should not be given to children less than a year old. Some experts have doubts Tamiflu will work during an influenza pandemic, fearing instead that viruses like H5N1 will quickly develop resistance. Recent reports of two patients in Vietnam who died from H5N1 despite being treated with Tamiflu have also led people to question the wisdom of stockpiling Tamiflu for a pandemic. The truth is, Tamiflu has never been tested during a pandemic, so it is unclear if - or how well - it will actually work in such a situation. Can I get Tamiflu now? Not likely. Tamiflu is not readily available for private purchase in Canada at this time. The manufacturer of the drug, Hoffman La Roche, has implemented a restriction on Tamiflu's availability, citing a shortage in supplies. Pharmacies and wholesalers are unable to order Tamiflu until the restriction is lifted. (There is very limited leftover stock of Tamiflu that remains available to the public.)
How will I get Tamiflu during a pandemic? In the event of a pandemic, Tamiflu will be available by prescription from your family doctor. Canadian supplies are limited. As outlined in the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan, the current priority groups include individuals already hospitalized for influenza or at high risk from related health complications, health care workers and essential service providers such as police, fire and ambulance personnel.
Can I put my name on a “pandemic list” for Tamiflu now? No, there are no such public lists at this time. Will we have enough antiviral drugs when a pandemic hits? It is impossible to know. The need for antivirals will depend on the specific characteristics of the next pandemic virus, the spread and severity of illness, and the number of Canadians affected and the efficacy of the drug. The Public Health Agency of Canada has made antiviral medications a key component of the national Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan and is stockpiling sixteen million doses of Tamiflu for use during a pandemic. Antivirals will be the first line of defence during the next pandemic, because it will take at least four to six months to make targeted vaccines. As in other countries, priority lists will be established by Canada’s pandemic planners. Currently, the priority groups include individuals already hospitalized for influenza or at high risk from related health complications, health care workers and essential service providers such as police, fire and ambulance personnel. Why can’t we just order more antivirals? There is great international demand for Tamiflu. As a relatively new drug, it is still under patent, and is only manufactured by one company (Roche) at a single facility in Switzerland. If a pandemic happens, governments will undoubtedly overide the patent, but for the immediate future obtaining more Tamiflu is not possible. What sort of shelf life does Tamiflu have? The true shelf life of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is somewhat uncertain. As a relatively new drug, it has not yet been stored for long periods of time. The manufacturer, Roche International in Basel, Switzerland sets the current shelf life at five years. They are currently testing to further increase the shelf life to six years. All reserves of Tamiflu maintained in the National Stockpile System by the Public Health Agency of Canada, as part of the implementation of the Canadian Influenza Pandemic Plan, will be tested periodically to ensure the key ingredients remain effective.
What is the history of pandemics? What is a pandemic? A pandemic is the viral equivalent of the perfect storm – an explosive and deadly outbreak of disease on a global scale. It is possible to have an ongoing pandemic, like AIDS. Most pandemics, however, are characterized by the abrupt emergence of a novel and highly contagious virus to which humans have no immunity and which travels rapidly, causing a surge of illness and death. Pandemics are defined by transmissibility and spread, not severity. A pandemic could be very mild, causing only eye infections, for example. Conversely, even a disease outbreak with an extremely high fatality rate wouldn’t qualify for pandemic status if it didn’t transmit and travel well. H5N1 is not considered a pandemic virus at this time. There have been no reported human cases of H5N1 in Canada. How often do pandemics happen? Pandemics are rare and random events. There have been just three in the 20th century: “The Spanish Flu” (1918-1919), “The Asian Flu” (1957) and “The Hong Kong Flu” (1968). Without long-term data, it’s hard to calculate an average interval, but predictions based on those events range between 10 to 50 years. A pandemic every 30-odd years, if you’re talking averages. At 38 years on, we’re overdue.
What is H5N1? H5N1 is an avian influenza virus, which normally causes disease in poultry and wild birds but has recently caused illness and death in other animals (tigers, cats, horses) and humans. H5N1 first emerged in poultry in 1997. Human cases began to appear in 2003. As of January 11, 2006 there have now been a total of 147 confirmed cases of infection in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Turkey – including 78 deaths. H5N1 takes its name from a particular combination of protein spikes that jut out from its surface: the HA and the NA. The hemagglutinin spike (HA) allows the virus to bind with and enter into cells, where it then produces copies. The neuraminidase (NA) spike controls the release of those viral copies, dispatching them from the infected cells to travel throughout the host’s body. There are 16 known HA subtypes (H1-H16) and 9 NAs (N1-N9). The past three pandemics had H1, H2 and H3 components, respectively. These are the only HA subtypes known to have circulated widely in humans in recent history. If any of the other HAs (such as H5) get a foothold, no one in the world will have natural immunity. Further reading:
Does anyone have immunity to H5N1? Immunity is a by-product of previous exposure. When exposed to influenza, your body rustles up antibodies specific to that threat. If it doesn’t kill you, you should have some immunity, should the same virus come your way again. People who contracted the virus since it emerged in Asia in 1997 and survived the infection should now have immunity to H5N1. No one else will have natural immunity, because it’s a new virus.
How does a person catch a “bird flu” like H5N1? Under normal circumstances, avian influenza does not affect humans. It’s a disease that targets poultry (chickens, ducks and geese) and wild birds. It has also been found in some other animals, including pigs and tigers. Humans cases are still extremely rare. People in contact with poultry that are infected, or believed to have avian flu viruses, may be at higher risk than the general population. Infected birds shed large amounts of virus in their droppings, so people handling them may risk exposure through contact. Eating or drinking raw or improperly cooked poultry products may also pose a health risk. Since it emerged in 1997, there’ve been several apparent clusters of infection from H5N1. It’s unclear whether the virus was passed from person to person through coughing or sneezing, or if all individuals in each cluster experienced a common source of exposure (i.e. if they were poultry workers or families that kept domestic poultry). Public health authorities recommend the following actions to protect yourself from contracting or transmitting the flu – whether it’s H5N1, the annual flu or a pandemic strain.
Can I catch H5N1 from eating chicken? No, but you should still observe standard safety precautions while handling raw poultry prior to consumption, to avoid food borne illnesses. Although exposure to infected birds definitely carries a high risk, eating well-cooked poultry that has been handled properly does not. There has been no indication the current highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 circulating in Asia is present in poultry available for sale anywhere in Canada. Further reading:
Can I catch H5N1 from wild birds like Canada geese or blue jays? The highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 currently circulating in Asia and parts of Turkey has not been reported in the wild bird population in Canada. It is unknown whether or not birds like Canada geese or blue jays might carry the virus. Some experts believe migratory birds do act as transporters of various strains of avian flu, including H5N1. In the spring of 2005, more than 6000 migratory birds were reported to have died from H5N1 infection at the Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve in Qinghai Province, China. Several species were affected, including geese, gulls and ducks. For more information about H5N1 infection in birds, visit the World Organization for Animal Health website or the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations website. What are symptoms of H5N1 in humans? Symptoms of H5N1 in humans run the gamut from mild (usual flu-like maladies: muscle aches, sneezing, coughing, high fever) to severe (fatal pneumonia, blood disorders and multiple organ failure). Those with less developed or compromised immune symptoms (the very young; the elderly or chronically ill) are most at risk for dangerous complications. Why is everyone so worried about this virus? What’s different about H5N1? H5N1 is the avian influenza virus considered the best contender for causing the next pandemic. H5N1 is now extremely widespread in poultry in Asia, more widespread than any other avian influenza virus has ever been. It has become much more deadly to chickens during the past few years. (There’s no evidence it has become more deadly to humans, however.) Recent analysis has shown similarities between the genetic composition of H5N1 the virus that caused the “Spanish Flu” pandemic of 1918-1919. It has already met two of the three prerequisites necessary for a pandemic: it is a novel virus that is widespread and causing serious illness and death.
Why are the experts so sure there will be a pandemic? When a pandemic hits – and the experts say when, not if – it’s expected to rage around the globe in a matter of days or months, causing severe illness and death. It could infect more than a quarter of the world’s population and cause massive social and economic disruption – losses in the tens of billions of dollars. Pandemic risk assessment is really a numbers game. And the numbers are scary. H5N1 is now in millions of Asian chickens and ducks. And if it’s looking for humans to infect, it won’t lack for those, either. Sixty percent of the world’s people, and billions of animals, live in Asia. In Guangdong Province, China, H5N1 may have found the perfect natural laboratory. With a population of more than seventy million people, and thousands of chickens moving through the markets and into Hong Kong each day, it’s a world teeming with people, poultry, viruses and pandemic potential. H5N1’s chances of becoming a pandemic virus seem very good indeed. There’s widespread agreement that preventing or stopping the next pandemic is now a lost cause. Too many animals; too much opportunity. Efforts have turned instead to surveillance and preparations for managing a global outbreak.
It’s just the flu, isn’t it? Why is influenza such a threat? The last three pandemics were all caused by influenza outbreaks. Influenza A, to be precise, which still tops the list of troublesome viruses. (Of the three types of influenza: A, B & C, only influenza A is considered pandemic material.) There are both human and bird, or avian, versions of influenza A. The avian strains normally hit chickens, ducks, wild birds and occasionally other animals. The avian viruses do not usually cause serious disease in humans. But influenza A viruses are constantly changing. Small changes are known as antigenic drift; larger ones are called antigenic shift. Included in the antigenic shift category are major changes that result from a process called reassortment. All influenza A viruses are capable of this manoeuvre, in which they swap segments of their own genetic material for those of other flu viruses. Each of the eight gene segments in the flu genome can be traded for a segment of another flu virus – human or avian, which offers an enormous number of possible combinations. To make matters worse, new combinations can replicate unchecked. Traditionally, avian viruses have been expected to make this leap via an “intermediate” animal, such as a pig, which serves as a mixing vessel for avian and human viruses to combine. Pigs can catch both human and avian flu. Reassortment can spawn a new subtype, which shares the characteristics of both original viruses. In terms of pandemic potential, the most feared result is a new version of influenza with all the deadly charms of a virulent avian flu and the easy person-to-person transmission of a human one. Research has proven this is exactly what happened to create the last two pandemics. Recent reconstruction and analysis of the pandemic virus dubbed the “Spanish Flu” of 1918-19 documents the virus as being 100% avian influenza in composition. This revelation made international headlines – and raised the level of concern over H5N1 – because it suggested the Spanish Flu pandemic was the result of an avian virus which somehow acquired the ability to jump directly from bird to man without having first undergoing the usual reassortment process, either in a person or other mammal.
Why can’t a pandemic be stopped before it gets out of Asia? If the next pandemic originates in Asia, there will be considerable international effort will to try and stop the pandemic before there is worldwide spread. Experts agree such efforts may mitigate the spread but are unlikely to stop it altogether. Pandemic viruses spread very rapidly and people are usually infected and shedding virus for a day or to before symptoms appear. It’s hard to stop what you can’t even see. The World Health Network (WHO) has a global network of influenza experts tracking the spread of H5N1 and any suspicious new cases. In Thailand, specialists from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are involved in ground-level efforts that go as far as taking regular head counts of individual chickens. Surveillance is seen as the first line of defence, but there are huge obstacles in the process, and international efforts are frustrated by the fact that some countries simply lack the means to effectively track the virus within their own borders. For example, in Cambodia and Laos – which have a combined population greater than that of Vietnam - there is simply no surveillance. The World Health Organization (WHO) can’t even ship out virus samples for reference due to the lack of infrastructure. They have good laboratories, but no samples ever make it to the labs. The WHO is asking western countries to consider the prospect of sending some of their precious supplies of antiviral medicines to Asia if a pandemic starts there, or join together to fund an Asian stockpile. It could make a big impact early on in the siege, but few believe governments will risk the safety of their own to counter a plague on foreign shores. In August of 2005, the WHO struck a deal with Roche, the manufacturer of Tamiflu for a donation of three million treatment courses of Tamiflu to a WHO international antiviral stockpile. In the event of a pandemic, the WHO distribute the antivirals to people in greatest need in the locations where a pandemic is emerging. But even if Asian hot spots were to get the drugs, there would undoubtedly be problems with delivery, especially to communities in remote and rugged parts of the landscape. As the results of recent computer modeling exercises have shown, the task would be all but impossible during the small window of time during which the drugs might be effective.
If a pandemic starts in Asia, how long will it take to get to Canada? Responding to pandemics is a true race against time. They tend to cover the world within a year, or less. Even before the days of jet travel, the speed of a pandemic was something to be feared. The pandemic of 1580, which started in Asia, blanketed Europe within six months and spread to all continents in just over a year. Predictions are that a pandemic that originates in Asia will arrive in North America with two to three months. But in this day of frequent international air travel, it is quite possible that timeframe could be compressed to a matter of week, or even days. A pandemic is expected to affect major urban areas first, but quickly spread through the entire country. International surveillance of unusual respiratory illness is ongoing throughout the world, and the hope is that Canada will have some advance notice before a pandemic arrives in the country. Once it is known a pandemic virus has broken out and is rapidly spreading, there will be stringent surveillance – and potential quarantining – at airports and other points of entry to Canada. How many deaths will the next pandemic cause? Pandemics are rare and unpredictable, events, so it’s very difficult to estimate death rates in advance. The mortality rate of an outbreak will depend to a large extent on the unique characteristics of the pandemic virus: how good it is at human-to-human transmission, and whether or not it seems to target specific segments of the population (i.e. children and the elderly or the young and fit). Governments and independent researchers have been working to create estimates of the potential death toll from an H5N1 (avian flu) pandemic. Their expectations are based on the information they have about recent cases of H5N1 and mortality data from previous pandemics, such as the Spanish Flu of 1918-19. The death rates for the next pandemic will depend on many factors, including the rate of transmission and the severity of illness. There is a wide range of estimates available. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated a mild pandemic may claim between two and 7.4 million deaths worldwide. Dr. Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and Director of the Center For Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota recently published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine which predicts as many as 180 to 360 million people may die, worldwide, during the next pandemic. His figures are based on the death rates for the “Spanish Flu” of 1918-1919, and the proportional increase in world population since. It is important to note there have been tremendous advances in virology and health care since 1918-1919. It is hoped the availability of antiviral medicines, vaccines, public health measures and the ability to conduct genetic analysis of the next pandemic virus will all contribute to a reduction in potential mortality rates.
How could I catch pandemic flu? In order to become classified as a pandemic strain, it’s believed a strain of avian flu (including H5N1) would need to re-engineer itself to become more like a common human flu virus. If that happens, it will spread like every other human flu, through close contact with droplets from an infected person. In order to catch this flu, a person would either need to have a sick person cough or sneeze on them, or touch something that person had recently coughed or sneezed on. In the case of a pandemic, public health authorities advise that you should take the following precautions:
Based on the experience with previous pandemics, the next one would be expected to occur in series of as many as three waves, each lasting several months at a time. There may be a lull of several months between these waves and the second wave may be even more deadly than the first. People who contracted the virus during the first wave, but survived, should have immunity to subsequent waves. Pandemic-specific vaccines, when available, should also confer immunity to later waves of disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva is responsible for the surveillance, declaration and monitoring of pandemics. They will announce when the world has moved out of a pandemic situation. If history is any indication, the virus will begin to fade out after a second or third wave, at which point much of the world’s population will have been exposed and developed antibodies and therefore immunity. It may continue to cause illness and death in remote communities or other areas that have avoided previous exposure for some time after it has been officially declared over. The pandemic strain will fade into the background and a weakened version will become the basis of the annual human flu strain going forward. This is what happened after the last three pandemics.
I need to go to Asia (or Turkey). Should I go, or should I stay home? The Public Health Agency of Canada and the World Health Organization both issue regular travel advisories for people going to areas of the world experiencing human infections of avian flu.
Will the next pandemic be like 1918-19 (“The Spanish Flu”)? It is impossible to truly predict the specific characteristics of the virus that will trigger the next pandemic. However, recent work on the 1918 virus that caused the Spanish Flu uncovered the fact that it shared some genetic similarities with the strain of H5N1 currently circulating in Asia. This discovery has increased concerns the next pandemic may be 1918-like in scope and severity. It is important to note there have been significant advances in the fields of medicine, technology and public health since 1918. At the time of the Spanish Flu, there wereno pandemic vaccines, no antiviral medications, and no global surveillance. The doctors of the day weren’t even aware that pandemic was caused by a virus, much less influenza, because viruses weren’t even discovered until 1933.
What are governments doing to prepare? Canada Canada is drawing raves for its foresight in pandemic planning. The Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan, authored by the Public Health Agency of Canada with the involvement of national, provincial and municipal experts, has been lauded by international experts for the breadth of its approach. The plan outlines a number of complementary approaches to battling pandemic influenza. They include: development of a “mock” vaccine to minimize production hurdles at a time of crisis, stocking up on drugs for treatment and prevention (including $24 million worth of Tamiflu), having the vaccine developers on standby and outlining emergency response and public health measures to be undertaken in the event of a pandemic. In addition to laying in medicines for treatment and prevention of avian flu, the Public Health Agency of Canada has also created something called the National Stockpile System. Operating from a central location in Ottawa, along with eight satellite depots, these medical warehouses are expected to contain everything one would find in a hospital, from beds and blankets to antibiotics. In the event of a pandemic, supplies could be deployed within 24 hours to field locations, such as schools or community centres. In late March 2005, the prime minister announced a $24 million investment to create a vaccine centre at the University of Saskatchewan to augment the work of the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. The new lab, to be completed in 2009, will develop vaccines against avian flu, West Nile and SARS viruses. The new Quarantine Act will allow for dramatic new options to quell the spread of a pandemic, including diversion of airplanes believed to be carrying infected passengers, screening and detaining of people entering or leaving the country, and the implementation of quarantines at any suspected site of infection. Further reading: Other pandemic plans for Canada:
Other pandemic plans:
What is the CBC’s plan? The CBC is actively involved in pandemic planning and has developed extensive guidelines for staff regarding the situations they might face in the event of a pandemic, including protocols for those currently working in or traveling to areas experiencing outbreaks of human infections of avian flu, reporters working in the field during a pandemic, and employees who may become infected during a pandemic. CBC representatives, working with the government, will continue to monitor the avian flu situation, and as the national public broadcaster will also play a key role in providing direction for Canadians during a pandemic.
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