A meeting to discuss the possibility of a Flu Pandemic and how the community can prepare will be held at the Senior Center, Tuesday July 28th at 7pm. Below is information sent out by the board of Health:
BOROUGH OF OAKLAND, NEW JERSEY
One Municipal Plaza, Oakland, NJ 07436
BOARD OF HEALTH
TO: The Oakland, NJ Community
FROM: Ronald J. Beattie, President
Roy Bauberger –Director, Oakland Office of Emergency Management
Councilman Pasquale Pignatelli, Liaison to the Board of Health
DATE: June 23, 2009
SUBJECT: FLU PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS PLANNING/
REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS
_________________________________________________________________________________________
As everyone should by now be aware, H1N1 Flu is present in all regions of New Jersey. Although there have been four reported deaths, most cases of the H1N1 Flu, thus far, have been milder than the seasonal flu. It is everyone’s hope that this new strain of the flu will just fizzle out; however, public health experts agree that strains of the flu can mutate very quickly and become more serious. The H1N1 influenza virus is being monitored very closely to see what will happen in the fall when the seasonal flu season begins.
Across the state, public health agencies and offices of emergency management are developing plans to rapidly distribute medication to the entire population. While activation of these plans may never become necessary, they must be made. Here in Oakland, the Board of Health, in conjunction with the Office of Emergency Management, is currently developing a plan to distribute medication to the entire community. This is a huge undertaking and will require the help of many volunteers. Oakland’s plan will work only if enough volunteers are recruited; otherwise, residents may have to travel a distance to obtain medication at a regional POD (point of distribution).
We need your help. We need volunteers! A medical background is not required. More information will be forthcoming. Kindly contact the Oakland Board of Health at 201-337-9254 or health@oakland-nj.org, if interested.
Reliable information about the flu may be found at: www.bergenhealth.org, www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu and www.nj.gov/health
Please remember to: Wash hands thoroughly and frequently.
Avoid touching the face, nose and eyes.
Cover coughs and sneezes.
Stay home from work or school if you are sick.
/kkd
cc: Mayor John Szabo
Members of the Council
Richard Kunze, Borough Administrator