While talk of the spread of human cases of avian flu in Asia is attracting worldwide attention, local experts say their main health concern is the seasonal influenza that strikes each year.
Craig Roberts, an epidemiologist for the University of Wisconsin's University Health Services, said the state of Wisconsin has been taking measures in the past several years to control the spread of influenza if an outbreak occurs.
"We're prepared in the sense that we're making contingency plans and we're thinking about what to do and how we would handle certain situations," Roberts said. "But there's still a lot of work to be done — we're not there yet."
Roberts said there is no way for anyone to be fully prepared for an outbreak of the flu because every type of flu is different and can be unpredictable. But individuals can take measures to protect themselves from the flu, he added.
"In general, the important thing is to remember that the best way to prevent the flu is to get the influenza vaccine before flu season starts because antibiotics do not work to cure the flu," Carla Vigue, a communications officer for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, said.
Health officials are asking that people considered high-risk for becoming infected with the flu to get their shots before Oct. 23, Vigue said.
High risk candidates for the flu include people aged 65 years or older, residents of long-term health-care facilities, pregnant women, children ages 6 months to 23 months, health care personnel and adults with chronic medical conditions such as respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic, pulmonary or other autoimmune disorders.
Starting Oct. 24, the vaccine will be made available to the general public, Vigue said.
This year will be a very "normal year" for the vaccine, Roberts said. The flu vaccine shortage the country experienced last year is not likely to be repeated, he added.
"It looks like as of now, there's vaccine being supplied by three different manufacturers this year," Roberts said. "And so far, there are no delays, problems or issues, and there probably won't be any."
Roberts said the vaccine will be available to UW students free of charge starting the last week of October.
Despite the state's preparations for seasonal flu, Vigue said the United States needs to keep track of the spread of the avian flu, which has been known to infect people in Asia since 1997. The avian flu, or "bird flu," is a common virus in wild bird populations that can be fatal to domesticated birds. This strain of flu is dangerous because humans have no immunity to it whatsoever.
"We obviously need to be keeping a watchful eye on the avian flu to make sure if it were to occur here in Wisconsin that we would be prepared," Vigue said.
Though the avian flu has infected about 100 people in Asia, it is not a huge concern for the United States yet, Roberts said. However, if this flu changes, it could greatly affect populations worldwide.
"It's not very infectious to humans, but if it mutates that would be a possibility," Roberts said. "And it is a strain that has not been seen before, so it has the potential to become a pandemic."
