Health News in Brief

Pandemic Influenza: What is the bird flu and what is all the fuss about?

What is an influenza pandemic?

• Global outbreak of disease
• Occurs when a new influenza A virus appears or “emerges” in the human population
• Causes serious illness
• Spreads easily from person to person worldwide

What is an influenza pandemic?

• Different from seasonal outbreaks or “epidemics” of influenza
• Pandemic outbreaks are caused by new subtypes, by subtypes that have never circulated among people or by subtypes that have not circulated among people for a long time.

Antigenic shift

• Causes an abrupt or sudden, major change in influenza A viruses
• Caused by new combinations of the HA (hemagglutinin) and/or NA (neuraminidase) proteins on the surface of the virus

Steps to a Pandemic

• The appearance of a new influenza A virus subtype is the first step toward a pandemic
• The new virus subtype also must have the capacity to spread easily from person to person

Influenza Pandemics during the 20th Century

1918-19, "Spanish flu," [A (H1N1)]

• Caused the highest number of known influenza deaths
• More than 500,000 people died in the United States
• Up to 50 million people may have died worldwide

1957-58, "Asian flu," [A (H2N2)]

• Caused about 70,000 deaths in the United States

1968-69, " Hong Kong flu," [A (H3N2)]

• Caused about 34,000 deaths in the United States

Stages of a Pandemic

Pandemic alert period

• Phase 3: Human infection(s) with a new subtype, but no human-to-human spread or at most rare instances of spread to a close contact

Preparing for the Next Pandemic

In the absence of any control measures (vaccination or drugs)

• Estimated that in the United States a “medium–level” pandemic could cause 89,000 to 207,000 deaths
• 314,000 and 734,000 hospitalizations
• 18 to 42 million outpatient visits
• Another 20 to 47 million people being sick
• Between 15% and 35% of the U.S. population could be affected by an influenza pandemic
• Economic impact could range between $71.3 and $166.5 billion

Credits

• Most of the information in the slides of this presentation are directly from information contained in the CDC Fact Sheet: “Information About Influenza Pandemics”
• The scanning electron microscope picture is from the CDC Public Health Image Library

What To Do Against the Flu:

(Listen in RealAudio…)

Along with chilly weather comes the flu. What forms of protection are out there this year to fight this age old bug? What exactly is the flu? How is it spread? Who is at the highest risk for catching the flu? Is it fatal? Health organizations and community clinics suggest getting a flu shot is your best defense. Will the flu shot insure that you will not catch it? How do herbal remedies combat the flu? What about the threat of a pandemic flu? Guests are Donna McKenzie (Williams Lake Indian Band of the Secwepemic Nation), Community Health Nurse/ Q'wemtsin Health Society, and Dr. Andrea Girman, Board of Trustees/ American Holistic Medical Association.

Dealing with the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

(Listen in RealAudio…)

Among the communities hit hardest by this major storm is the United Houma Tribe in southeast Louisiana. Help from Native America has poured in since then. Tribes have sent food, water and even personnel to help in the search and rescue effort. How are the tribes in the affected area doing now? What has your tribal community done to support the gulf coast state tribes? Guests are Jackie Johnson (Tlingit and Haida), Executive Director/ National Congress of the American Indian, Larry Frank, Editor/ Native American Housing News, and Lenore Churole, Program Dircetor/ Vocational Rehabilitation Program, United Houma Nation.

Donations can be sent to:

United Houma Nation
20986 Highway 1
Golden Meadow, LA 70357
(985) 475-6640

N.C.A.I. Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund
1301 Connecticut Ave., N.W
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
www.ncai.org

Courtesy of Native American Calling

Headlands Indian Health Careers Program Open for Applications

NORMAN , OKLA. - The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is now accepting applications for its 2006 Headlands Indian Health Careers Program, to be held June 4 through July 29, 2006, on the OU Norman campus.

American Indian high school seniors and first-year college students that are interested in pursuing a career in the health professions are encouraged to apply for this intense eight-week enrichment program offering mini-block courses in calculus, chemistry, physics and biology. These courses are designed to increase the students’ knowledge and prepare them for the required college-level math and science coursework in pre-health programs.

Travel, lodging and meal expenses will be provided for each student accepted into the program. Applications for the Headlands program can be found at www.headlands.ouhsc.edu or call (405) 271-2250.

Application deadline is March 15, 2006.

State of the Indian Nations Address 2006

State of Indian Nations Address: Newly elected President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Joe Garcia, Governor of Ohkay Owingeh, (Pueblo of San Juan, New Mexico) gave his first State of Indian Nations Address on February 2 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The address took stock of the state of American Indian and Alaska Native nations in the U.S., relaying to the President, Congress, and the general public a comprehensive, contemporary picture of the challenges and opportunities before today's American Indian and Alaska Native nations. Everyone can access an MP3 copy of the program at www.airos.org/audio/ncai06/soin06.mp3

Courtesty of AIROS: Native American Radio Network

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