April 18, 2006
If the avian flu or any other pandemic strikes the New York
area, St. John’s University will be prepared. Its Emergency
Management Committee has drafted an Avian Influenza Response Plan,
which is currently circulating among key departments for their
input, according to Dr. Colleen M. Greaney, Director of the
Department of Environmental Health & Safety for all of the
University’s locations, and a member of the Emergency Management
Committee chaired by Gerard McEnerney, Assistant Vice President and
Director of the Staten Island campus. The committee also includes
Tom Lawrence, Vice President of Public Safety, and Pauline Tummino,
Health Services Director.
“We’re monitoring avian influenza activity throughout the
world,” says Dr. Greaney, “and we’ve reached out to groups in the
University that are traveling to countries where they might be
exposed to the virus, so that they’ll take precautions.” She
and McEnerney have attended an advisory program for university
personnel co-sponsored by New York City’s Health Department and the
Office of Emergency Management.
No Cases in Our Continent
Currently, there are no cases of “bird flu” in our continent, in
birds or in humans, says Joseph Etzel, Clinical Pharmacy Professor
and Assistant Dean in the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health.
Most of the cases that have occurred in people ― largely in parts
of Asia, Europe and Africa ― were contracted from infected birds,
usually through contact with domesticated live poultry, he
explains. There is a ban in the U.S. on importing live or fresh
poultry from countries where the avian flu exists, and none of the
poultry sold here has thus far been contaminated.
“The virus hasn’t adapted, or mutated, into a form that is
easily transmitted to humans,” says Assistant Dean Etzel, who was
asked by the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York to
testify at a public hearing recently sponsored by State Senators
Balboni and Hannon. “The concern is that over time, it might do
so.” It is really difficult to determine whether the avian flu may
become pandemic, he adds. “Some experts say it is inevitable but
others think that it may never occur,” he explains. “Back in 1976,
the government and various health organizations thought for sure
that the Swine Flu was going to be pandemic, but that was never the
case.”
Vaccine Is Under Development
Because the virus hasn’t yet mutated into one that’s easily
transmitted to, and among, people, it’s difficult for scientists to
develop an effective vaccine before an outbreak occurs, explains
Assistant Dean Etzel. “Vaccine development is a work in progress,”
he points out, “and more than 30 candidate vaccines have been
funded by government agencies which are targeting avian
viruses.”
If avian influenza, or any other pathogen, becomes a public
health threat, it’ll be a challenge to inoculate the public, he
adds, because New York State has one of the country’s lowest
inoculation rates. This, he believes, would be alleviated if
pharmacists who are certified to administer inoculations were
allowed to give them, as is the practice in all but six states. St.
John’s College of Pharmacy and Allied Health is actively supporting
legislation pending in New York State that would allow pharmacists
to give immunizations. “A busload of faculty and students recently
lobbied Albany,” he explains.
University Has Four-Level
Plan
The University has a four-level Avian Influenza Response Plan, says
Dr. Greaney. The first two are preparatory; Level III goes into
effect if and when the first case of human to human transmission in
the U.S. is confirmed. “We would work with supporting government
agencies to distribute prophylactic medication if available should
there be a confirmed case of human to human transmission in the New
York area,” she says. “The virus would have to mutate before
it could cause widespread infection among people.”
The University’s Emergency Management Committee recommends that
members of the University community take these preventative
measures:
- Get in the habit of using proper respiratory etiquette to
prevent the spread of disease if and when avian influenza reaches
the United States;
- Cook all poultry until it reaches an internal temperature of
180° F; chicken breasts to 170°F; cook eggs until the yolks and
whites are firm;
- Be aware that to prevent transmission of the disease, there’s a
ban on the importation of poultry, eggs, feathers, and any other
poultry products into the U.S. from affected countries;
- Use caution when traveling out of the country to regions where
birds may be infected;
- Report any flu-like symptoms that worsen after a day or two or
a fever that occurs within 10 days of returning from any travel out
of the country, to your physician; and
- Stay informed; check news reports and recommended Web sites
from authoritative public-health agencies.
Fact Sheets are available from the following organizations: