A photograph taken during the 1918 Spanish
flu
pandemic, of victims crowded into an emergency hospital at
Fort Riley, Kansas. Source:
National
Museum of Health and Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of
Pathology
Pandemic Influenza Planning
Many patients have questions about Pandemic Influenza (flu). Why does the media keep talking about it? Why are the federal, state and medical communities, including the VA, developing plans in case Pandemic Flu occurs?
It
is
first
helpful
to
understand
what
Pandemic
Flu
is
and
how
it
is
different
from
seasonal
flu.
This
chart
shows
more
information
about
the
differences
between
seasonal
and
pandemic
flu.
Learn
more
from the Pandemicflu.gov
website.
Information
is presented in an easy question and answer format. Hotline
information is also provided.
What
We
Are
Doing
Past
flu
pandemics
have
led to
high
levels
of illness,
death,
social disruption
and
economic
loss.
The
Minneapolis VA Medical Center is planning ways to
protect
the
health
of our veterans we serve, maintain the services we
provide,
and protect our staff. Our plan includes how the Minneapolis
VA
will work with the Minneapolis / St. Paul community
and
the
state of Minnesota. Our plans also include coordinating services
with
our
Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) and the other
VA
Medical
Centers in the VA Midwest Health Care Network. Our goal is
to provide updated communication with our many
important
stakeholders including you, our patients.
Our
Pandemic Influenza Planning Taskforce meets often. There are
physicians, infection control nurses, emergency preparedness
coordinators, educators, and many others on our taskforce.
The taskforce recently participated in a VA-led pandemic flu
exercise. This helped us gain an understanding of what we
have accomplished in our planning and what we still need to
include in our plans.
What
You
Can
Do
As
a patient,
there
are
many steps
that
you
can take
to
prepare
for
pandemic
flu. Please take the time to explore this website to
learn
more about pandemic flu. You will have access to many
important
links
for pandemic information. Check back on a regular basis
for
future
updates.
While this website may offer helpful information and educational tools, it is not meant to replace care from your healthcare provider. For more information on pandemic influenza, please talk to your healthcare provider.
What
You
Can
Do