“A devastating pandemic influenza attack is very real, but when people think about being prepared for emergencies, they think about other disasters, like earthquakes and tsunamis. We need to raise awareness and encourage families, schools, businesses, and hospitals to prepare for a potential flu pandemic that keeps 30 percent of the workforce home sick and floods our hospitals with tens of thousands more people than the current number of available beds,” said Council Chair Larry Phillips. “We know from past flu pandemics that preparedness and fast action by government officials can significantly reduce the number of deaths from an outbreak. In particular, we want to make sure the disabled, the elderly, and communities of color are not left behind as saw during Hurricane Katrina.”

Updated estimates from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention suggest that a severe pandemic scenario in King County could result in up to 540,000 people clinically ill, 270,000 outpatient medical visits, 59,000 people needing hospitalization, and 11,500 deaths. To put these numbers in perspective, the county has a total population of 1.8 million, averages about 200 deaths in a six-week period, and has about 3,500 hospital beds.

“Community preparedness is a key element to containing a pandemic,” said Councilmember Jane Hague, Vice-Chair of Council Affairs and a steering committee member for the King County Board of Health. “We must train ourselves and our children in the life-saving benefits of frequent handwashing, disinfecting work surfaces and coughing into our arms - not hands.”

"We must recognize that the threat of a pandemic flu is real, whether you live in Kent or Kansas," said Councilmember Julia Patterson, who also chairs the King County Board of Health. "The people of King County expect their government to be coordinating with other health leaders and governments and preparing a plan to respond in the event our region is affected. King County Emergency Management and Public Health – Seattle & King County have made tremendous strides in the last year to prepare and minimize the risk to our communities."

The County has been mapping out plans and working with other governments, businesses, essential service providers, and schools to prepare our community for this region’s response to the impact an influenza pandemic would have on daily life. The overarching goal of preparedness is to limit the spread of the disease until a vaccine is widely available, while preserving the continuity of essential services and minimizing the inevitable economic losses and social disruption.

Councilmembers examined the King County Pandemic Influenza Response Plan, a coordinated regional response that will involve government, health care providers, schools, business, and the public. The Plan has three interrelated components that respond to the County’s roles as regional emergency preparedness/public health provider, government service provider, and large employer:

1. The Public Health Pandemic Influenza Response Plan outlines the roles, responsibilities and activities of Public Health – Seattle & King County and the county’s regional partners in responding to and preparing our community for the pandemic flu. The PH PIRP establishes the baseline and sets common assumptions for other components of the plan and other entities’ plans, and stressing the community-wide responsibility for preparedness.

2. The King County Continuity of Operations Plan focuses on the roles, responsibilities, and activities of each King County department to assure the continuity of essential government services such as wastewater treatment, solid waste disposal, transit, and criminal justices and human services during a pandemic.

3. The Human Resources Division Pandemic Influenza Emergency Response Manual provides staffing strategies, tools, advice and directives for departments to follow during a pandemic influenza emergency to ensure employees are protected and essential services can be delivered.

Members heard of the work of the King County Healthcare Coalition, a network of private healthcare organizations and providers committed to working together to maximize the health care system’s ability to respond to excessive increases in the demand for services during an emergency, for the benefit of the entire community.

Public Health also discussed outreach efforts taking place to ensure that specific communities—people with disabilities, the elderly, communities of color and those with limited English proficiency—are prepared for and able to access services during an influenza pandemic. The members of the Vulnerable Populations Action Team have already identified specific populations that will be targeted for direct planning and training by Public Health and those populations that Public Health will support in the event of a pandemic. The team is also working to ensure that: