University preparations for a possible future avian influenza pandemic are still in progress, according to University Health Services Director Kathy Poi.
While individuals afflicted with the avian flu are as of yet confined to Southeast Asia, the disease's severe attack on the respiratory system so far killed approximately 50 percent of the 120 people infected.
The death toll concerns university and state health officials, according to Wisconsin Division of Public Health epidemiologist Tom Haupt, because of the large number of college students that travel internationally, particularly to countries like Vietnam and Thailand.
There are currently no reported cases of human infection by avian flu in the United States, Poi stressed. However, 'in terms of epidemiologically of how these things work, we're kind of overdue for [an influenza pandemic],' Poi said.
Also, the recently reported discoveries of the flu in wild ducks in British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba hit closer to home, raising concerns of the possibility of infected ducks migrating to the United States for the winter.
Regarding preparedness for UW-Madison, no definite plans yet exist in the case of an avian flu pandemic, UHS epidemiologist Craig Roberts wrote in a statement.
'Both UHS and UW-Madison do have written crisis response plans and a structure in place to make decisions as events may unfold,' Roberts said of the university's preparation plans for general mass illnesses.
UW-Madison, UHS, the City of Madison and Dane County officials have been cooperating for several years on the development of a pandemic response plan, both Poi and Roberts stressed.
'It's important to know that the university doesn't exist in isolation,' Poi said.
Avian flu's initial symptoms include general malaise, cough, muscle aches and other respiratory problems. As the flu progresses, it begins to resemble a pneumonia-like severe respiratory infection, according to the World Health Organization's website, www.who.int/en.
'What's most concerning about the avian flu so far is that a simple genetic mutation of it could make it very easy to transfer from human to human,' Poi said. 'So far, only those who handle chickens or poultry in Southeast Asia have really developed the virus.'
