Previous Page | Print this Document

July 2, 2008 ... Pandemic influenza is a global outbreak of disease that occurs when a new influenza A virus appears in humans, causes serious illness and then spreads easily from person to person worldwide. Three major influenza pandemics swept the globe in the 20th century causing millions of deaths, and no one knows for sure when the next pandemic may strike. 

The threat of a major outbreak has been among the top legislative priorities for Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, Senate Chairman of the Legislature’s Committee on Health Care Financing. For more than three years, he has been leading a, sometimes lonely, fight to modernize the state’s public health laws in order to be prepared for such a public health emergency. The senator is a former Associate Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a long-time public health advocate.

If a new and severe strain of flu were to begin spreading across the globe, Massachusetts would not be spared from its impact. The severity of the next pandemic cannot be predicted, but modeling studies suggest that its effect in the United States could be severe. In the absence of any control measures (vaccination or drugs), it has been estimated that in the United States a "medium-level" pandemic could cause:

Although there have been several serious flu outbreaks in Massachusetts, most notably in 1957 and 1968, the most infamous was the 1918 - 1919 Influenza Epidemic which killed over 45,000 Bay State residents. Public health officials predict that it’s not a question of “if”, but “when” a flu pandemic will occur in the world and have a devastating impact on the Commonwealth.

However, as Sen. Moore discovered, the Massachusetts statutes that govern public health emergencies have not been updated since 1950. Some laws are the same that were implemented after the 1918-1919 Influenza outbreaks. “Society has changed a great deal, and so has medical practice, in the years since the last update,” Sen. Moore explained when he filed his legislation.

Sen. Moore’s flu pandemic and disaster preparation plan which has languished for more than two years is finally moving at the State House after months of prodding by the veteran legislator and his staff. Moore’s legislation gives the Department of Public Health new authority to direct state resources and personnel and quarantine areas or people. It provides liability protection for medical staff that might be required to work in nontraditional settings. On Tuesday, July 1, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously approved the bill that Sen. Moore has championed for the past several years. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for their consideration.

Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach says although bird flu outbreaks, for example, are not in the daily news, the state must be prepared.

“All indications are that we will have a serious influenza epidemic in the coming years and part of our responsibility is to plan for possible emergencies even if they are emergencies that are not likely to occur for many, many years. Sen. Moore has been a true champion in the effort to prepare for such an emergency,” Auerbach stated.

The bill does not provide funding for additional hospital beds, medical supplies or medications, that were originally part of the bill filed by Sen. Moore. However, it asks for a report from the state Department of Public Health on funding needs by years’ end. In the meantime, Massachusetts has begun stockpiling anti-virals in preparation for a flu outbreak.

Previous Page | Print this Document