Residents of Connecticut will be contacting police officers, school leaders, in addition to the East Haven Fire Chief if a pandemic influenza were to break out. Officials belonging to these departments are also gearing themselves for such a situation. The fire department everywhere has to be at the forefront while dealing with emergencies. Humanity has been witness to several epidemics in the past which had devastated whole civilizations.
As many as 8,500 people in Connecticut had died in 1918 and 1919 as a result of the ‘Spanish Flu’ which also claimed several million lives across the world. The past 100 years alone have been witness to three pandemics. The Connecticut Convention Center was the venue for a pandemic-response planning summit on 2 February 2006. The US Government plans to make an allocation of US$ 100 million for towards local pandemic preparedness, and similar summits are being held across the country.Preparations are also being made for the people who may have to be quarantined when a pandemic breaks out. The virus can become particularly dangerous if it were to mutate into a form which can be transmitted from one human being to another. The economy will also be affected, as there will be a 40% fall in the work force in the state due to absenteeism. This will involve the fire and police departments also.
Connecticut may be witness to 10,000 hospitalizations, 3,000 deaths, and another 50,000 people requiring medical attention if a flu pandemic were to breakout, which may last for months together. Migratory birds which are already infected with the virus may bring the infection to the American Continent. Social distancing may become necessary if the event occurs to avoid infection. There will also be a shortage of medicines and provisions as people rush to stock up the moment the infection breaks out.
