Dekalb County Board of Health
Office of Emergency Preparedness
Pandemic Influenza Online Seminar

You've heard about the Pandemic Influenaa or Bird Flu. Are you prepared in the event of an outbreak? KISS and the Dekalb County Board of Health have teamed up to bring you an online seminar “You’ve Heard About The Bird Flu on TV: What Does It Mean To You?” Click here to view the online seminar now.

Pandmic Flu Stats

• 91% of Americans believe it’s important to be prepared for emergencies…only 55% of households report having taken any steps at all to prepare.

In a pandemic:

• 90 million or 30% of the world’s population will experience an episode of illness
• 45 million or 50% will seek outpatient medical care
• 865,000 will be hospitalized
• 209,000 will die world wide
• 2.5 million people die in the U.S. each year, in a severe pandemic, an estimated 2 million additional people could die from influenza and its complications in a span of 18 months.
• 48% of Americans trust CDC as a source for reliable information
• According to the American Red Cross (2005 unpublished data) only a quarter of the U.S. population will engage in efforts to prepare for an emergency when a threat is not seriously looming.
• Women are more likely to prepare for disasters than men.
• More than 90 million people in the U.S. live with chronic illness.
• More than 36 million people in the U.S. are 65 years of age or older.
• People with chronic illness, suppressed immune systems, older adults, pregnant women and young children are at a greater risk of serious illness, complications and death from seasonal influenza and will presumably be so from a pandemic influenza virus as well.

Prevention is key to limit the proliferation of the bird flu or any other disease. Here are some things that you can do to limit the spread of this disease:

• Make sure that you and your children wash hands frequently with soap and water, and model the correct behavior.
• Cover coughs and sneezes with tissues, and be sure to model that behavior.
• Stay away from others as much as possible if they are sick. Stay home from work and school if sick.

Click here to return the the Business Preparedness information page.