
Media Release
May 8, 2006
Media Contacts:
Rosann Doran
Public Information Officer
303.438.6308
TV shows highlight H5N1 virus
On Tuesday night this week the ABC network showed a made-for-TV movie titled "Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America." This Friday at 8 p.m., the CBS drama series "Numb3rs" will feature the story line of five dead Asian women who wash up on the beach and who have H5N1 virus.
While these shows make for interesting drama, residents are urged to remember that these stories are fiction. Concerned residents are encouraged to get the full story on the H5N1 virus which causes Avian Flu – “bird flu” – and to understand the potential for a human pandemic in this country.
Currently, the virus is responsible for a pandemic among birds and has killed many birds. The more than 100 humans worldwide who have died from the virus had very close contact with infected birds. To qualify as a human pandemic, the virus must mutate to allow it to travel from human to human.
Consequently, when the H5N1 virus is detected in the United States, it will not signal the start of a human pandemic. In fact, it is not known if the H5N1 virus will ever mutate into a form that is easily spread from person-to-person. However, if it does mutate in its current form, it will cause widespread illness and death.
Preparedness is the key to remaining healthy. Everyone has a responsibility for preparedness. Residents are urged to stay up-to-date on personal emergency preparedness guidelines for any emergency, including bird flu.
In Broomfield, preparation for pandemic influenza has a high priority, as it does for federal, and state health departments. All levels of government are working together to put the essential building blocks in place to protect the public from an influenza pandemic. In Broomfield, training and exercises have helped prepare the Health Division for action should a serious emergency occur.
To become informed, residents may visit the federal Web site on pandemic influenza, www.pandemicflu.gov. Preparedness checklists for individuals and families can be found at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/planguide/checklist.html . For business owners, the Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist can be found at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/businesschecklist.html.