Spanish Flu 1918

The "Spanish" influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, which caused 20-50 million deaths worldwide, remains an ominous warning to public health.

Oshkosh Community Pandemic Flu Plan Assignment

Download the Assignment as a word doc

Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina:

No one disagrees that the federal, state and local response to Hurricane Katrina was wholly inadequate. The televised images of people stranded in New Orleans without food, water, or shelter or means to evacuate, and nearly a thousand deaths due to thirst, exposure and exhaustion leave no doubt that something went terribly wrong. Now, we are on the verge of another emergency. Can we apply lessons learned from the events of Hurricane Katrina in order to prepare for an influenza pandemic?

Pandemics happen globally, but must be managed at the state and local level. We have the opportunity to become the

first generation in history to prepare for a pandemic. The state of Wisconsin has been provided $1,831,224 from the U.S. government to plan and prepare for an influenza pandemic. Is Oshkosh or Winnebago County receiving funds to prepare? What are the Board of Healths in Oshkosh and Winnebago County doing to prepare for an influenza pandemic?

In regards to an influenza pandemic, HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt has said

"you will be largely on your own."

This is your opportunity to take time to learn how you and others in this community can prepare for a possible influenza pandemic. Students will work in groups of five in order to address the following questions. The "plan" created by each group will be presented in the form of a poster during the last week of the semester. A formal discussion will also be conducted on the same day.

Oshkosh Community Pandemic Flu Questions

The plan is divided into 12 sections

  1. Individual preparedness (stockpiling food, water, masks, medicines, miscellaneous)
  2. Create an emergency workforce team (who will be on this team)
  3. Role of the Media (educating the community)
  4. Community Communication (e.g. moving goods and services)
  5. Quarantine measures /Prevention/Travel/Curfews/Crime Prevention
  6. Public gathering policies
  7. Hospitals
  8. Pharmacies/Health Plans/Stockpiling Antiviral Drugs
  9. Long-term care, including nursing home residents and elderly living alone
  10. Vaccines
  11. City Issues (garbage collection, electricity, water treatment, burial procedures, business plans)
  12. Oshkosh Board of Health Role

Oshkosh Community Pandemic Flu Plan Time-Line

Plan Date Due (1 Copy Per group) Points
*Rough draft of plan: Parts 1-3 Friday, February 10th 10 pts.
*Rough draft of plan: Parts 4-7 Friday March 3 10 pts.
*Rough draft of plan: Parts 8-10 Friday March 24 10 pts.
IN CLASS MEETING REGARDING FLU PLAN
Invite Guests? Analysis of other Flu Plans
Wed. April 5 5 pts.
*Rough draft of plan: Parts 11 & 12 Friday, April 14 10 pts
Poster Due/Discussion Day
INVITE guests?

Wed. May 10th 35 pts.
Peer Eval. of Posters Wed. May 10th 10 pts
Peer Eval. within groups Wed. May 10th 10 pts

*All drafts should be in the form of a Microsoft Word document.

 

Extra Credits:

TWO POINTS of extra credit will be awarded to the first student who finds an additional state, county or city Pandemic Flu Plan Draft on the internet. To date, Dr. Shors has posted drafts to the states of Alaska, Arizona, California and Wisconsin. As soon as new plan is discovered, Dr. Shors will post the URL on D2L and give credit to the first student who finds each plan. 

A comprehensive web page of this project might be created during or at the end of the semester. This would be an excellent opportunity to provide a portal for many communities in the U.S. as they create their pandemic flu preparedness plans. You can make a difference in educating the community. Your names will be listed on this site as a participant in this assignment--this should motivate you to do a good job!