Boone County Health Unit and Other Partners Conducting First Emergency Preparedness Drill For Dispensing Oral Medications in State

June 6, 2006

Boone County -- The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, Boone County Health Unit and other partners will be conducting the first state emergency preparedness drill that dispenses oral medications in the event the United States ever experiences an influenza pandemic. It will be held on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 from 9:00 AM until 12:00 noon at the Northwest Regional fair grounds in Harrison. Since the scenario will involve preparing for a Influenza Pandemic, the Boone County Health Unit will take the lead in the drill with the support of County Judge, Mike Moore, OEM Director, Mike Smithyman and the Boone County Local Emergency Planning Committee.

The committee is encouraging any Boone County resident that is interested to please come and be a part of the exercise. They will need volunteers to portray community members that need medication to prevent them from contracting the flu virus simulated in the exercise.

A flu pandemic is a global outbreak that occurs when a new influenza virus causes serious human illness and spreads easily from person to person affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population. A pandemic occurs periodically and public health officials around the world are watching the bird flu situation in Asia very closely because if the virus changes to a human strain, it could be the next pandemic.

Dr. Paul Halverson, Director, Division of Health, says, “We don’t want to wait until we see the first cases of pandemic influenza arriving here in our state to ready ourselves. The time to develop response capacity is now, before people begin getting sick. An effective response requires coordination and collaboration at all levels of government as well as with community partners like business, faith and community-based organizations, health care providers and others. Katrina taught everyone a valuable lesson. The time to begin working with one another is before the levees break.”

For more information about influenza pandemic, click on www.pandemicflu.gov or www.healthyarkansas.com.

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