Why should 208 flu-caused deaths matter given that the world's population is topping 6 billion? While it is beyond belief to hear of a case mortality rate of 61.5% for any influenza, isn't the biggest obstacle to taking the threat of a worldwide flu pandemic seriously the small number of human victims?

If we consider the tens of millions of domestic poultry that have been culled from the Far East to the countryside of England, it becomes more of a potential threat.  Just a few genetic morphs and, viola, we have not just 338 cases of human infections but upward to 1/5 of the world population or over a billion cases. Should the case mortality rate continue at the height it is today that would tease out to over 650 million dead. "Pandemic is going to happen. It's like earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis," says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease and Research Policy at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.  "It would only take a grain of sand to bring the gears down."

After following the trail of the H5N1 avian influenza virus for over two years, it is apparent that the scientists who continue to sound the clarion call of "A pandemic is coming" are looked at as purveyors of just one more false alarm. 

Why should a potential pandemic matter to the citizens of Scottsdale? Because we need to be aware of potential disruptions to our way of life that such a worldwide catastrophic event would spawn.  If you look at what is happening in parts of the United States the past few weeks, we see over a million homes in the Midwest without power, across the Northwest residents struggled with snow and mudslides, a very tangible look at what Mother Nature can do to disrupt daily life.  Now, imagine an unseen wave of virus impacting 40% of the entire population.

Again LINKS is suggesting you consider creating an individual road map for personal and business emergency planning.  We have listed resources on our website as well as LINKS publications to help you create your map.  We will continue to remind  you that it is up to you to plan, and be prepared to deal with, pandemic flu or any other widespread disaster.

 

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