Who Will Respond If An Influenza Pandemic Strikes?
4/2006
According to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, nearly half of surveyed public health employees said they probably would not report to work during a pandemic of influenza. The results raise serious concerns about the pool of health workers who would be available to respond in the event of a potentially fatal outbreak. Public health workers play a crucial role in responding to any health care emergency by monitoring the spread of illness, organizing the distribution of medications and communicating critical health information to the public. They also work in public health clinics where they provide out-patient medical services. The majority (66 percent) said that they feared becoming infected themselves if they were to work during a pandemic.
Not all workers expressed reluctance to report to work. The willingness to report was strongest among employees who believed their presence was important and who had responsibilities during a pandemic. The most willing to report were physicians, nurses and other clinical staff members. The least likely to say they would report were technical and support staff.
For a copy of the press release on the study results, go to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health website.
For more on pandemic influenza, visit AFSCME's Pandemic Influenza web page.