NEW HAMPSHIRE OFFICIALS SAY THEY’RE PLEASED WITH THIS WEEKEND’S DRILL TO TEST THE STATE’S ABILITY TO CONDUCT A MASS VACCINATION.
18-HUNDRED PEOPLE AT CLINICS IN MANCHESTER, COLEBROOK, AND PORTSMOUTH WERE VACCINATED AGAINST THE COMMON FLU. MEANWHILE, THE EXERCISE ALLOWED HEALTH OFFICIALS TO TEST HOW THEY WOULD VACCINATE THE ENTIRE STATE, IN THE EVENT OF A PANDEMIC. NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC RADIO CORRESPONDENT DOUG MACPHERSON ATTENDED THE PORTSMOUTH CLINIC. HE FILED THIS REPORT.
IT’S SATURDAY MORNING IN THE GYM AT PORTSMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL.
TAPE 2, BRENDA DAVIDSON 211 my name’s Brenda. I am a visiting nurse at seacoast
v-n-a.
BRENDA DAVIDSON IS A REGISTERED NURSE WITH THE SEACOAST VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION. SHE’S USED TO GIVING FLU INJECTIONS, ALTHOUGH MOST PATIENTS DON’T RECORD THE EVENT.
TAPE 2, BRENDA DAVIDSON 215 right now, I just cleansed the spot where I’m going to inject the vaccine without alcohol. And I am going to give you your injection right now, you ready? YUP. I don’t want to hear if hurts though. OK? Just keep it to yourself. Under these circumstances. ///224 DOUG: HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT, IF THERE WERE A WHOLE LINE OF PEOPLE… that’s all I thought about last night… HOW QUICKLY YOU COULD DO THIS? Seriously, that’s all I thought about last night before I went to bed. How are we going to do it, what’s my system going to be?
ANOTHER NURSE THINKING ALONG THE SAME LINES IS GEORGETTE SHAPIRO, A NURSE WITH PORTSMOUTH HOSPITAL, WHO’S COORDINATING THE CLINIC.
TAPE 1, GEORGETTE SHAPIRO 281 there are 8 tables as you see, two nurses at each table for a total of 16 people giving injections. And as they walk down, the nurses who have an empty seat raise their hand, and the volunteers and the nurses here are cueing them into the seat so it goes pretty smoothly and as rapidly as we can do it. APROX :22
THE AVERAGE INJECTION TAKES LESS THAN A MINUTE. THE FASTEST IS 30-SECONDS. TODAY’S INJECTION IS FOR INFLUENZA, OR, THE COMMON FLU. BUT WHAT IF THE STATE WANTED TO VACCINATE THE ENTIRE POPULATION AGAINST AN EPIDEMIC OF AVIAN FLU?
SATURDAY’S TEST WAS HAMPERED BY THE FACT THAT ALTHOUGH TWO-THOUSAND VACCINES WERE ON HAND IN PORTSMOUTH, ONLY 675-PEOPLE SHOWED UP. STILL, PORTSMOUTH DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF STEVE ACHILLES SAID THE TEST WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO EXERCISE THE CHAIN OF COMMAND – SOMETHING EMERGENCY OFFICIALS ARE ESPECIALLY AWARE OF FOLLOWING HURRICANE KATRINA.
TAPE 1, STEVE ACHILLES 129 so right now, there’s a unified command at the state, getting information from the federal government, filtering that and then seeing what local resources you need to engage. And then at the local area we have a unified command at the city hall that is coordinating our communication and our needs between this high school and the state. APROX :24
ACHILLES SAYS IN THE EVENT OF A PANDEMIC, IT WOULD BE UP TO LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES TO VACCINATE THEIR CITIZENS. BUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE TO OVERSEE THE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE VACCINE ITSELF.
TAPE 1, STEVE ACHILLES 139 And I believe, independent of Katrina or any other event, that there are plans in place and we’re doing much better at how we respond to more regional disasters. APROX :10
BETTER, ACHILLES SAYS, THAN BEFORE NINE-ELEVEN.
THAT’S GOOD NEWS TO DAVID ITKIN, EPIDEMIOLOGIST AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE PHYSICIAN AT PORTSMOUTH REGIONAL AND EXETER HOSPITALS.
TAPE 1 DAVID ITKIN, 427 the public should be concerned. Not panicked, but concerned. A pandemic is inevitable. There have always been pandemics, there always will be, there were three in the 1900’s, and based on the timing of things we are probably due or overdue for a pandemic. APROX :21
AND THAT, SAYS ITKIN, IS THE MESSAGE EVERY HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL SHOULD BE COMMUNICATING THESE DAYS. WHETHER IT’S THE CURRENT H5N1 STRAIN, WHICH HAS YET TO MUTATE INTO A FORM THAT CAN TRANSMIT FROM PERSON TO PERSON, OR SOME OTHER VIRUS: AN EPIDEMIC IS COMING. SO FAR, NO VACCINE EXISTS FOR THE AVIAN FLU. UNDER CURRENT TECHNOLOGY, THE PROCESS OF MAKING A VACCINE CAN TAKE 10-MONTHS.
PEOPLE ARE BETTER AT DETECTING AND TREATING VIRUSES, BUT, AS ITKIN POINTS OUT, THEY’RE ALSO BETTER AT SPREADING THEM.
TAPE 1 DAVID ITKIN 445 the virus is just a plane flight away from an epicenter in asia.
STATE OFFICIALS SAY SATURDAY’S EXERCISE HELPED THEM IDENTIFY SEVERAL AREAS WHERE THEY CAN IMPROVE THEIR PLANNING, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION. FOR EXAMPLE, MORE PEOPLE ARE NEEDED AT THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER IN CONCORD TO TAKE PHONE CALLS FROM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS.
MEANWHILE, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, PRESIDENT BUSH RECENTLY CALLED UPON CONGRESS TO APPROPRIATE 7-BILLION DOLLARS TO PREPARE THE NATION FOR A PANDEMIC – A PLAN MANY PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALISTS HAVE CALLED TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. CONGRESS HAS YET TO RESPOND.
FOR N-H-P-R NEWS, I’M DOUG MACPHERSON.
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