Flu Stories: CDC Press Conference Tomorrow On Pandemic Flu Preparations

No masturbating in an airport urinal before the press conference!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x31605


Flu Stories: CDC Press Conference Tomorrow On Pandemic Flu Preparations
by DemFromCT
Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 04:07:17 AM PST

Press release from CDC on new Public Service Announcements and Community Mitigation Guidelines

Webcast
MEDIA ADVISORY - Feb 1 at 2PM Eastern time
WHO: Secretary Mike Leavitt, Department of Health and Human Services(via satellite)
Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director, CDC
Dr. Marty Cetron, Director, CDC Division of Global Migration andQuarantine
Dr. Paul E. Jarris, Executive Director, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)

WHAT: Release of two new initiatives to advance the nation's pandemic
influenza preparedness efforts: 1) new PSAs designed to encourage people to
learn more about pandemic flu and 2) New CDC guidelines for implementing
public health measures and actions in response to a pandemic (i.e.
non-pharmaceutical actions such as dismissing students from school,
voluntary isolate of ill people, and social distancing measures like
teleworking).

WHY: The impact of pandemic influenza extends well beyond health and
medical communities into many segments of society. Developing a pandemic
influenza vaccine could take several months, and this guidance describes
strategies that may lessen the impact of pandemic influenza through the use
of public health measures that don't involve vaccines or medications (also
called non-pharmaceutical interventions). For the first time, the new CDC
guidelines illustrate how public health recommendations should or may vary
depending on the projected severity of a pandemic.

WHEN: Thursday, February 1, 2007
2 PM, Eastern Time
Brief remarks followed by Q&A

LISTEN-ONLY AUDIO WEBCAST
This briefing will be audio webcast. To listen LIVE online:
http://www.cdc.gov/...

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The guidance document, graphics and a full transcript of this teleconference will be available following the briefing on the CDC web site at www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media.

As noted here, there's some serious planning going on. If you read the assumptions and scenario, you can understand why this belongs on a political blog (actually, because society would be affected at every level, it belongs everywhere). USA Today will have a detailed story tomorrow about panflu prep at the fed, state and local level, though I'll be traveling and can't post on it until the weekend. For background, see this US government scenario for what's being planned (this is meant as a possible scenario for planning purposes):

More:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/31/64853/7270