The Amador County School District began their meeting Wednesday evening with a Pandemic Flu Presentation by Public Health Director Dr. Hartman and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Lori Jagoda. The purpose of the presentation was to inform the Board of Pandemic Influenza Preparedness for Schools, and covered topics such as the differences between seasonal and pandemic influenza, the role of local health departments in a pandemic emergency, avian influenza, and response planning for schools. The biggest concern in regards to Avian Flu is the fact that there is no human immunity and no vaccine is currently available for the variant which may be transmitted from birds to humans. More than 60% of those infected with H5N1 have died.

California is likely to be among the first locations for an influenza pandemic as it is the location of many major ports of entry for flights and shipping from Asia. Schools would be impacted, as they are some of the most densely populated environments in society. Other school districts in California have developed specific actions in regards to an outbreak, such as Contra Costa County’s development of the Pandemic Flu School Action Kit, a step-by-step guide to processing, reporting parent and community information and continuing education resources. At the end of the presentation Dr Hartman stated, “it’s not a case of if a pandemic will hit the United States, its when.” Information, tools, and other resources for planning and preparing schools for a potential influenza pandemic can be found on the website www.ReadyCASchools.org.