In the event you assume our healthcare system has issues now, how do you assume it is going to fare within the occasion of a hen flu pandemic? Avian influenza is presently not unfold by person-to-person contact. Since 2003, 165 folks worldwide have contacted hen flu and about 88 of these folks have died. These people all had shut contact with contaminated birds. Scientists concern that it is just a matter of time earlier than the virus mutates right into a kind that may be unfold by human contact. When that occurs it may unfold all over the world inside weeks or months. Governments all over the world are scrambling to search out options to stop that from occurring. Antivirals equivalent to Tamiflu are being stockpiled. Present stock could solely cowl about 20% of the inhabitants or much less. If a pandemic breaks out, these stockpiles would rapidly dwindle. New antivirals would take 6 months to get into excessive quantity manufacturing and distributed to those that want it.

Within the occasion of an influenza pandemic, our healthcare system shall be stretched to the restrict. If we study the numbers we will see the scary situation. Based mostly on a “mild” pandemic that is what we’re :Inhabitants of the USA: 295,000,00010-20% of the inhabitants turns into sick: 29,500,000-59,000,000Share of individuals requiring hospitalization 10% 2,950,000Variety of hospital beds nationwide: 955,768Variety of ventilators nationwide: 100,000A few of these numbers could also be conservative. The share of the inhabitants that turns into sick could possibly be 30-50%. The variety of out there hospital beds would go unchanged. Now lets issue within the following info. Hospitals wouldn’t be sitting empty simply ready for flu sufferers, many are already fill to capability with on a regular basis diseases, most cancers sufferers, new infants, and coronary heart assault sufferers. These wouldn’t go away, they’d proceed. Medical doctors workplaces, hospital emergency rooms and pressing care facilities could be crammed to capability with people who find themselves nervous they’ve the flu overwhelming the workers and the necessity for lab outcomes.These needing hospitalization would flood native hospitals that may have nowhere to place them. Most hospitals have very restricted house for isolating sufferers that could be required within the case of influenza. Ventilators are in brief provide to start with and solely these almost definitely to reside could be given entry. Sooner or later hospitals would wish to show away all however the sickest sufferers. As within the 1918 influenza, public buildings must be open up for extra hospital wards to maintain the sick.

Are there even going to be sufficient healthcare staff to look after the sick? Many healthcare staff and first responders could keep house out of concern sufferers could infect them. A share shall be out sick themselves or caring for relations who’re sick. Even when they aren’t sick, they could want to remain house to maintain kids as a result of faculties are closed.There isn’t any surge capability for provides equivalent to syringes, IV luggage, masks and antiviral medicine. Every part is predicated on just-in-time supply. As a result of provides of vaccines and antiviral medicine shall be insufficient, massive numbers of deaths will happen.Hospitals across the nation will not be set as much as deal with the capability wanted for an influenza pandemic and shall be overwhelmed. Critical superior planning is required now to deal with this potential pandemic disaster.