Working presently as a Public Health Nurse I have been keeping up with the world wide talk that has been going on about the next Influenza pandemic.
Many feel, looking at what history has done and what the Avian Flu is now doing, that a new Influenza pandemic is not far off.
The recent scare of an unknown respiratory illness that took the lives of atleast 16 people from a Toronto nursing home made my heart jump. We now know it was legionaires disease,but what if it had not been?
Too many cities and townships are still only in the planning stages for handling a pandemic. If this had been influenza, infection could have spread quickly and deaths and illnesses could have been far worse than they could be.
What does this have to do with nurse, besides directly involving us in client care of one sort or another?
As nurses, we are capable of initiating change and advocating for health care consumers. We must get pushy, speak out, and encourage governments and employers to take action faster. Plan now!
Never leave a meeting with merely the promise to meet again. Insist on a date to return and continue planning.
Later may prove to be much too late.
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