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Planning for the Pandemic Flu
By Paula Evenson, Training Specialist, Community Coordinated Child Care
You might have heard about it on the news or read it in the paper. Experts agree that we are due for the next Pandemic Flu outbreak and local, state and national officials are gearing up to protect the public. Wisconsin hosted a state conference in 2006 sponsored by the University of Wisconsin and others to help agencies across the state learn about how to prepare. Presentations were made by experts including the UW and the Department of Health and Family Services. What does this have to do with child care?
For starters, we care for a very vulnerable population, young children, and one our foremost goals is protect them. We also provide a major support for working parents and it is predicted that there could be as much as a 35-40% reduction of the workforce if parents are home because they are ill or caring for an ill family member. That means child care businesses—centers or family child care homes—will also be directly affected. Are you ready?
If you don’t think this is a serious public health threat, consider the history. The last several pandemic flu outbreaks occurred in 1918 (Spanish Flu), 1957 (Asian Flu) and 1968 (Hong Kong Flu). The cycle of reoccurrence is every 10-40 years. This makes us statistically due for a Pandemic Flu outbreak at any time. Currently, about 800-1000 people die each year from the annual Flu epidemic, but a Pandemic (which is global instead of local and occurs over 2-3 years instead of just one year) is predicted to be more serious and could kill as many as 8,000-10,000 Wisconsin residents.
So what should you do to prepare? First, make sure you have an emergency plan in place that addresses the specifics of a pandemic flu outbreak. Many excellent resources are posted on the 4-C Website at www.4-C.org including sample emergency planning forms and checklists as well as links to reliable websites for the most current and accurate information. Second, educate your staff and/or families about the importance of practicing good hand washing and hygiene and share the resources about what families can do at home to prepare. Third, consider collaborating with other providers and agencies in your local area to make a plan in the event that child care programs need to close down. It was noted at the conference that during the outbreak, emergency personnel will need to be at work and their children will need to be cared for even if schools and child care programs are closed. It is recommended that you connect with your local county emergency management contacts and your local public health department contacts to find out the latest planning developments in your area. Links to these contacts and much more information can be found by visiting www.4-c.org or feel free to contact Paula Evenson at paulae@4-c.org or 608-271-9181 with questions.
Source: Presentation materials from the Surviving the Pandemic State Conference, October 2006
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