America Balks At Bird Flu

London—Researchers today called for more training, better equipment and counseling after nearly half of health workers questioned in a US survey said they would not report for work during an influenza pandemic.

The poll of more than 308 workers from three health centers in Maryland revealed that more than 40 percent would be unlikely to report for work and 66 percent thought they would be putting themselves at risk if they did.

"In the face of a pandemic influenza threat, local health department employees' unwillingness to report to duty may pose a threat to the nation's emergency response infrastructure," Dr. Ran Balicer, of Ben-Gurion University in Israel, said.

World health experts have urged countries to prepare for a possible influenza pandemic. They fear the H5N1 avian virus circulating in birds could mutate in a strain that could become highly infectious in humans.

The virus has killed more than 100 people since 2003 but it has not shown it can spread easily from person to person.

The researchers also stressed on the need for specialized training on the specific role an individual needs to play.

The poll showed that technical and support staff, most of whom thought they would not be asked to report for work, were the least likely to participate.

Only 33.4 percent of workers thought they were knowledgeable about the public health impact of pandemic influenza.

Less than a third of those who took part in the poll believed they would have an important role in the response of local outbreak of human pandemic flu but 86 percent of that group, mostly clinicians, said they would be willing to help.

"These data offer a current, evidence-based window into the needs of public health workers who would serve as a backbone of local-driven emergency response in an influenza pandemic setting," Balicer added.

telegraphindia.com 4/18/06