Avian Flu Preparedness

Biola University Student Health Center, along with many other colleges and universities, is in the planning stages for Avian Flu preparedness. The Director of Health Services has recently attended a Web-based teleconference hosted by the UC system. The focus was "Pandemic Preparedness for Colleges and Universities." The information that was shared included:

  1. Characteristics of the Avian Flu.
  2. How it is spread.
  3. What populations are at greatest risk.
  4. Phases of planning.
  5. Current status of the FLU.

The Health Center will continue to monitor the status of the Avian Flu through the WHO (World Health Organization), CDC (Center for Disease Control) and our local LA County Disease Surveillance. Until the virus finds a mutation path to connect from one human to another, there is no specific anti-virals or vaccine produced at this time. Once the human form of Avaian Flu is identified, it'll take 6 months to produce a vaccine. There are increasing reports that birds and chickens are being affected by the virus in a number of countries. Humans are contracting the Flu from working with diseased chickens or being contaminated from fecal material of the diseased chickens. But there are no reports yet that any human has passed it on to another human. This concern is being evaluated and discussed by medical researchers and epidemiologists who work with viral DNA and mutations. When any pandemic type Flu strain breaks, there will be Public Health teams who will govern regional quarantines and set up guidelines for the general population.

More information can be viewed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.