Pandemic influenza killed an estimated 50 million people between 1918 and 1920, and research shows people should expect another case in the near future.
Pandemic influenza is a serious flu epidemic that humans contract from other animals, and researchers say the human population is overdue for one. There have been three cases of pandemic influenza in the past century, the most severe being the pandemic referred to as the Spanish Flu. The Spanish Flu started in 1918 in the United States and spread throughout the world. It ended in 1920, killing more than an estimated 50 million people. Pandemic influenza strains are highly contagious and many authorities suggest seclusion to prevent contracting the virus. Certain strains of the influenza virus are qualified as pandemic because when humans contract the virus, the strain they are infected with is unaffected by the immunities they have developed. This causes the infection to spread quickly and easily. Pandemic flu, or “nature’s terrorist attack” as it has been called by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, is similar to the common cold because it can be contracted through the air from coughs, sneezes, infected surfaces or bodily fluids. “The next pandemic virus hasn’t been identified yet,” said Mike Brown, program manager with the National Sheriffs’ Association. “Scientists know it’s coming but they don’t know when.” Brown attended a national Weapons of Mass Destruction Program that informed law enforcement about weapons of mass destruction and other hazards to public safety. Brown said pandemic influenza experts estimate it will affect about 30 percent of the population. He said it will affect the young, healthy portion of society more because their bodies will overwork themselves in an attempt to fight the infection. There is currently no immunity to the flu because the next strain, which could cause a pandemic virus, has not yet been identified. “Generally, when you have a hurricane, you ask people to evacuate,” said Ken Pastorick, public information officer for the Department of Health and Hospitals. “But in the case of a pandemic, we are going to ask people to stay inside and not congregate to prevent the passage of the flu.” Pastorick said the Department of Health and Hospitals sent out handbooks to 1.16 million households this past June focusing on how to prepare in the event of a pandemic. College students come in contact with thousands of people on a daily basis, but the government has no worries that universities will go unprotected. “In the event of a pandemic, the government may implement community mitigation strategies such as school closings,” Arleen Porcell-Pharr, public affairs specialist for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille. Porcell-Pharr said the Department of Health and Human Services and the CDCP have developed a checklist to help universities develop and improve plans to prepare for and respond to a pandemic. University officials have started the process of putting together a strategy in case a pandemic influenza occurs. “Last year, we had a meeting with Residential Life indicating certain residence halls in which we could house persons that were affected,” said Maj. Lawrence Rabalais, LSU Police Department spokesman. “The plan for the University is a work in progress.” Rabalais said LSUPD has not performed specific training for pandemic influenza, but part of being a police officer is being prepared to respond to life or death situations. He said the police department is coordinating efforts with Dr. Timothy Honigman of the Student Health Center.
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