Despite moderate flu activity predicted this year, Baltimore City and hospital officials rolled out a preparation and information-sharing plan Thursday to sort out the cries of “wolf” from serious announcements.
“It?s a little more systematic and organized than what we have done in the past,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein.
The plan, developed at Johns Hopkins? Bloomberg School of Public Health in conjunction with the city, establishes a three-tiered, threat-level system, with differing degrees of public awareness, planning and response activities tied to each level.
» Level One: Minimal flu. No flu cases have been documented and the city is focused on educating people about how to avoid getting the flu and the importance of getting vaccinated, especially if you work in health care. Currently, Baltimore is at this level.
» Level Two: Flu alert means the city increasingly focuses on vaccinations for high-risk groups and will distribute wallet cards with important safety and prevention information.
» Level Three: Severe Flu Warning means that city hospitals are overloaded and city, school and health officials are considering closing schools or using schools to distribute critical information.
The plan is the “right thing to do not only for seasonal flubut in preparation for any pandemic,” said Dr. Trish Perl, Johns Hopkins Hospital?s epidemiologist. In case of a lethal and virulent flu like the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak that killed an estimated 675,000 Americans, “we know that vaccinating health care workers reduces mortality by 50 percent. That?s going on right now.”
Even without a fatal bug, seasonal flu can strain hospitals, and it is likely there will be a Level Three alert, she said.
Instituting the alert system now, helps prepare for a pandemic, Sharfstein said. “If the public gets accustomed to thinking about three different levels of flu during a seasonal flu, they?re going to be ready for the next level when a pandemic flu hits.”
