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WASHINGTON: US health officials are examining past flu pandemics for hints on how to deal with the current swine flu crisis, but modern resources - from Twitter to medicinal stockpiles - are also lending a hand.
So far 44 cases of the sometimes-deadly viral strain have been detected in the United States, putting drug companies, health workers and even the military on alert.
US officials say they are "moving aggressively" to contain the rapidly evolving spread of the disease, using a host of tools to prevent a pandemic to rival those that have killed millions of people in the past.
"There is no single action that will control an outbreak but combined actions taken around the country will help to stem the tide," the head of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Richard Besser, said Monday.
Health authorities have learned lessons from past pandemics, such as the 1918 "Spanish flu" outbreak that killed millions in across the globe.
"One thing that went wrong in 1918 was that the authorities didn't understand or communicate the need to cancel large assemblies," James Bentley of the American Hospital Association (AHA) told AFP.
"Today, we understand the need to build 'social distance', that if you don't congregate with 500 people, you're less likely to get sick," said Bentley.
Already several schools have been shut in the United States and Mexico - where the outbreak began - has temporarily shut all schools.
Government officials have appeared in print and on television to advise Americans not to give "that little welcome kiss," to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, to wash their hands frequently and to stay at home if they feel flu-like symptoms coming on.
Companies have been advised to draw up contingency plans to keep business running as usual if many workers call in sick.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also set up a Twitter feed to get its message across.
The flu feed added 9,000 followers in the space of eight hours Monday, giving the channel a running total of more than 23,145 people receiving "tweets" about the outbreak.
Cutting-edge science is also being employed.
Tests for swine flu have been sent out to medical professionals around the United States, as have stocks of the two anti-viral medications, Tamiflu and Relenza, that the CDC has said are effective against the strain of influenza.
Pharmaceutical companies were working with global health organisations to be ready to develop a vaccine to tackle the flu strain.
The US Defense Department said it was closely following events, although it said there were no immediate plans to release anti-viral drugs from its stockpiles.
But contingency plans are being drawn up in case the outbreak does reach pandemic proportions.
Travellers entering the United States are already being screened for signs of the virus and the Department of Homeland Security says it has 19 quarantine centres on standby at ports of entry.
Empty beds in nursing homes could be commandeered to treat people, an official at the Department of Health and Human Services told AFP, asking not to be named.
- AFP/yb
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