Liquid Tamiflu Shortage Have Parents of Sick Children Searching For the Medication

From the DHS Daily Report: Tamiflu shortages have parents on wild dose chase

Officials have also instructed doctors to suggest that pharmacists mix the powder from capsules with syrup to make a liquid for children if the company’s version is unavailable.

As increasing numbers of children are coming down with swine flu, more parents are facing a shortage of liquid Tamiflu for children.

Spot shortages of the liquid form of the antiviral medicine are forcing mothers and fathers to drive from pharmacy to pharmacy, often late into the evening after getting a diagnosis and prescription from a pediatrician, in search of the syrup recommended for the youngest victims of the H1N1 pandemic. The drug can make the flu milder, go away more quickly and may cut the risk of potentially life-threatening complications.

The shortages are being caused by a surge in demand because of the second wave of swine flu sweeping the country, combined with a decision by Roche, the Swiss company that makes the medication, to focus on producing it in capsule form.

In response, the government has shipped to states hundreds of thousands of five-day courses from the Strategic National Stockpile, which is on standby in case there are disease outbreaks or bioterrorism attacks. Officials have also instructed doctors to suggest that pharmacists mix the powder from capsules with syrup to make a liquid for children if the company’s version is unavailable.

As increasing numbers of children are coming down with swine flu, more parents are facing a shortage of liquid Tamiflu for children. Spot shortages of the liquid form of the antiviral medicine are forcing mothers and fathers to drive from pharmacy to pharmacy, often late into the evening after getting a diagnosis and prescription from a pediatrician, in search of the syrup recommended for the youngest victims of the H1N1 pandemic.

The drug can make the flu milder, go away more quickly and may cut the risk of potentially life-threatening complications. The shortages are being caused by a surge in demand because of the second wave of swine flu sweeping the country, combined with a decision by Roche, the Swiss company that makes the medication, to focus on producing it in capsule form. In response, the government has shipped to states hundreds of thousands of five-day courses from the Strategic National Stockpile, which is on standby in case there are disease outbreaks or bioterrorism attacks.

Halloween Safety Tips For A Happy and Safe Halloween

Tomorrow is Halloween (Happy Birthday Mom), a favorite holiday for many and obviously an important date in my family. 

So, we thought we would share some tips to keep you safe and include links to some sites with the best tips.

1. Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
2. Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
3. At night, hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you.
4. Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent skin and eye irritation.
5. Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
6. If you must wear a mask make sure it fits well and does not block your vision, if it does block your vision remove it before crossing the street and look both ways.
7. Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.
8. Only trick-or-treat in well known neighborhoods at homes that have a porch light on.
9. Never cut across yards or use alleys.
10. Always contact Law enforcement when you see suspicious or unlawful activity.

Have more tips? Feel free to share them with us.

You can also view more tips on the following site:

Halloween Safety

CDC Halloween Safety Tips

LAFD Halloween Safety Tips

Bay Bridge Closure and How to Mitigate Workforce Disruptions

Workforce disruptions can be caused by a large number of different events such as strikes, protests, workplace violence, absenteeism due to illness (think pandemics and epidemics like the current H1N1 virus) and even transportation issues.

Typically the impact of these events can be mitigated, but to do so requires planning for the event ahead of time.  Including these types of events in your continuity planning and enterprise resilience will certainly put you ahead of the game when these incidents arise.

In the past I have witnessed several of these types of disruptions in both large and small scales and in many of these cases the businesses that had plans in place fair far better than those that do not.

In the last two months the Bay Bridge has been closed down twice for repairs. The first was a planned shut down during a holiday weekend, but extended due to discoveries of needed repairs. The second occurred after the recent repair job failed.

There are many ways to mitigate the impact from these events ranging from staggered and flexible work hours for employees, making arrangements for key employees to stay in other locations, having some employees work from home, car pools, planned shuttle services, utilization of other transportation services, etc.

Each of these can help your business reduce impacts from these types of events and each of these also presents their own problems which is why you should be planning these things in advance and making them a part of your continuity management programs.

Knowing what you will do in these types of events will also assist you for planing other events that may also cause workforce disruptions. If you are considering creating a plan or would like other solutions to supplement what you are already doing please give us the opportunity to assist you. Visit our site at: Continuity Corporation or give as a call 877-565-8324

Disaster Tip of The Week: Learn How To Treat Water

After a disaster water is both extremely scarce and important to your survival. In some cases you may run low or even completely exhaust your supply of drinking water be things return to normal.

If this is the case you will need to know how to treat any available water before using it to cook, drink or brushing your teeth.

Here are some quick tips for treating water:

1. First, if you can't find clear water or the water is cloudy you should filter the water through clean clothes, towels or other cloth. If nothing is available to filter the water allow the water to settle and draw off clear water for boiling.
2. Next, if possible boil the water for one minute. Then allow it to cool and transfer to clean containers.
3. If you are unable to boil water, you can use house hold bleach (use only regular bleach, do not use scented or color safe bleach, these contain other chemicals that may be harmful) add 8 drops or 1/8 of a teaspoon for each gallon of water to be treated. Let stand for 30 minutes and then transfer to clean containers.

This should cover the basics but if you want more information see the links below which are PDF's from the EPA on the treatment of water.

EMERGENCY DISINFECTION OF DRINKING WATER

Desinfección de Emergencia del Agua Potable

DÉSINFECTION DE SECOURS DE L'EAU POTABLE

Red Cross Survey 1 in 5 Adults Going to Work With H1N1

A recent survey conducted by Caravan Opinion Research Corp. on behalf of the Red Cross, indicates that in one out of every five U.S. households, someone has gone to work or school when they were presumed to be sick with the H1N1 virus.

"People who have the flu should stay home from work or school to help prevent passing the illness on to someone else," Sharon Stanley, chief nurse of the American Red Cross, said in a statement.

"Each of us has the responsibility to be a good neighbor. To help keep others from becoming sick, do your part by washing your hands, sneezing into your arm, using hand sanitizer and staying home when ill."

The survey also shows that woman are taking the risk of becoming ill with the H1N1 virus more seriously than men.

For more see Red Cross Survey.