SL County Council to Consider Pandemic Flu Plan

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Public furor over pandemic flu appears to have waned, but the Salt Lake Valley Health Department is still actively involved in preparations for a local outbreak. Director Gary Edwards says the threat of bird flu remains significant:

"As far as the world goes, we've had more cases and deaths so far in 2006 than in all of 2005," says Edwards.

On Tuesday, Edwards will present a Pandemic Influenza plan to the Salt Lake County Council. He has spent recent months meeting with local community, church and business leaders and says the plan is coming along. But he needs the approval of local governments to ensure things go smoothly.

"For example if this was to happen and we needed to close public venues, the health department is not going to do that without local elected officials being at the table with us," says Edwards.

The health department estimates a severe flu pandemic could result in as many as six-thousand deaths in Salt Lake County alone. The county's preparedness plan focuses on monitoring illness, isolating the infected and coordinating various agency responses. The Salt Lake County Council is expected to sign off on the plan during its work session Tuesday.

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