H1N1
I chose this topic because the H1N1 virus and the swine flu have taken over the news. The Ohio Department of Health is heavily committed in getting the word out. "During the week of October 18-24, 2009, influenza activity continued to increase in the United States as reported in FluView. Flu activity is now widespread in 48 states. Nationally, visits to doctors for influenza-like-illness continue to increase steeply and are now higher than what is seen at the peak of many regular flu seasons. In addition, flu-related hospitalizations and deaths continue to go up nation-wide and are above what is expected for this time of year." (ODH).
The story is both a local and national headline. The television news report '60 Minutes' lead off this week's show with a serious discussion about all aspects of the new viral spread of the H1N1 virus and issues regarding the production process and current delays about the vaccine that was recently developed. The TV show went as far as showing the factory that produces the new viral vaccine even though the location and process are top secret. But what does all this scary news mean to the citizens of Stark County? Should Northeastern Ohio even be concerned? Who cares if there is enough vaccine and will the available vaccine even be safe considering how quickly it got to market and past scares from Gilliam Bara with another highly suspect vaccine. The United States government seems to be under the impression that if 60 Minutes devotes some time to a subject, people had better listen.
Background
Because of the swine flu, the word pandemic has been used quite a bit lately. A pandemic is different than a typical epidemic because of the fact that they can become widespread and affect entire regions such as ours, continents or even the entire world. The fear of a pandemic became a reality when scientists realized that this particular strain of virus was completely new and therefore no one on the planet has a natural immunity to it. This new virus creates certain symptoms that...
Overall, the spread of this virus is always of alarm to Tennessee state health officials. This paper will provide background information on the H1N1 virus and analyze the complications which occurred during the 2010 outbreak in Tennessee. Nature of the Problem Swine flu (H1N1) or Spanish flu as it was once called, originated in the 1700's. Prior to 1918 it was known that humans caught the disease on occasion, but the
Analysis Though the impact of H1N1 on the population of Tennessee was relatively mild, especially in light of initial fears about the dangers the virus posed, there were still significant problems in the state's handling of the public health issue that warrant examination. Response times to specific incidents were excellent, and despite changing recommendations from the CDC state officials responded well to the lack of certainty and clarity and managed to
In this instance, regardless of the public announcement that the state was following World Health Organization protocol, the public was furious. Public distrust continued when the new vaccine arrived, as the media had implied in previous reports that the vaccine was "rushed" through production. The public fears and responses that happened could have been mitigated through more scheduled town hall public meetings, where citizens are free to vent all
China, for example, reports fewer cases than Hong Kong, despite the massive population difference and the high amount of trade between the two. Moreover, China reports only one death from swine flu for its nearly 16,000 cases, which would give it a success rate in treatment better than all other countries in the world save for Germany. China's one reported death is equivalent to the number of reported deaths
While it is important in such widespread and far-reaching networks to ensure that individual elements within the network are empowered to make decisions as they see fit, it is even more important that each node in the network is given access to all relevant information in a current and comprehensive manner (Porche, 2004). A plan needs to be in place for dealing with these health issues that takes the
Emergency The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic posed enormous challenges for state health departments across the United States. This case focuses on Tennessee which endured an intense resurgence of the disease in 2009 and explores how state health officials, working with their partners from public and private sectors, mobilized in advance for the second wave of the disease. An array of preparedness efforts, such as the development of mechanisms for distributing
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