Jean Otto, DrPH
Pandemic Influenza Program
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
One of the big differences between pandemic influenza and other disasters or a natural disaster is that a natural disaster damages the physical infrastructure, whereas a pandemic will threaten the human infrastructure due to worker absenteeism from illness; from staying home to take care of ill family members; from sometimes fear and panic; and also from control measures, public health control measures, such as school closures.
We need to prepare, not just for a health and medical issue, but for a society‑wide problem, and that's why everybody needs to get involved. One of the unique features of a pandemic is that it's going to be widespread; that every region, every community, pretty much simultaneously is going to be affected. And therefore, it's going to preclude the shifting of resources, and it's going to require that communities are self‑sufficient and self‑reliant.
