Utah pandemic preparedness | 12.19.2005 | 04:33:38 | Views: 5281 | ID: December 19 '06: Preparing for a pandemic must include the community, private sector and state and local government all working together, Utah officials told the Associated Press recently. To push forward the state's flu pandemic preparedness efforts, Gov. Jon Huntsman has created a task force "to revise the state plan, promote community education and act as a catalyst for legislative action that would improve the state's response to a major public health emergency." The task force includes members representing 37 industry, private sector and government backgrounds. David Sundwall, the executive director of the Utah Department of Health told the AP, "It was our intent to include a large swath of the community. Because this is not just a state challenge, it's a local and private sector challenge." Specifically, the task force has been charged with creating ways for public/private partnerships "to ensure an appropriate response to a pandemic that will facilitate the maintenance of essential services," the task force's objectives read. If a large-scale medical disaster were to strike the state, such as a flu similar to the 1918 Spanish Influenza, a majority of the government's workforce would either be forced to stay at home, or would be too sick to report to work. The result would be a serious decline in the continuity of government services, officials said.
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