H1N1 Pandemic Precautions for Front Line Workers

WASHINGTON, May 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If the H1N1 pandemic flu follows
the pattern of the 1918 Great Pandemic it could come back with more vigor in a
second wave next fall. In 1918, three separate recurrences of influenza
followed each other with unusual rapidity, resulting in 3 explosive pandemic
waves within a year's time. Dr. Thomas O'Brien, Vice President of the Alliance
for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics and Microbiology Lab Director at Brigham
and Women's Hospital stated this concern on May 14th before a Congressional
Subcommittee, chaired by Congressman Stephen Lynch from the 9th district of
Massachusetts.

Congressman Lynch called the hearing to consider how to protect federal
workers who are first responders during flu epidemics. "I want to be sure we
have good procedures in place to ensure the safety of federal workers and the
public at large."

The work of APUA is given a special relevance to this danger by recent
evidence that secondary bacterial infection was a major contributor to the
1918 influenza death rate and by recent changes in methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Because of overuse of related antibiotics, MRSA
has spread widely in the community in recent years and on multiple occasions
has acquired resistance to vancomycin, the drug that has been relied on for
treating it. "MRSA will thus be a very likely major contributor to the
mortality of future influenza infections, and preventing its further
acquisition of antibiotic resistances is necessary to keep those infections
from becoming untreatable," according to Dr. O'Brien of APUA.

The best defense is to ensure funding for strong state and federal public
health programs, said Dr. O'Brien. He complimented Dr. Richard Besser, acting
Director of the CDC and Dr. Alfred DeMaria, Director of Communicable Disease
Control of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for their
epidemiology investigations and effective communications during the influenza
outbreak in April and May. He emphasized the importance of disease tracking
programs and the need for simple but critical everyday hygiene measures such
as vigorous hand washing with soap and water or alcohol gels for all citizens.
For surface disinfection APUA recommends soap and water or use of bleach and
alcohol antiseptics rather than those that contain antibacterial agents such
as triclosan that could select for antibiotic resistance. Emphasis for
front-line workers and the general public should be on the proven protections
of good hygiene and hand washing and not on an unproven need for facemasks.
Facemasks are currently only recommended for healthcare professionals with
prolonged exposure to patients diagnosed with H1N1.

Dr. O'Brien cautioned against unnecessary or over use of antibiotics and
antivirals, such over use leaves us without effective antiviral or antibiotic
drugs when the need is greatest.

APUA is an international public health organization based in Boston with
chapters in 61 countries; Dr. Stuart B. Levy is President of APUA and a
Professor at Tufts Medical School. APUA's mission is to control drug
resistance and preserve the power of antibiotics, through research and
education worldwide. For more information please visit our website at
www.APUA.org.

SOURCE Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA)

Thomas O'Brien, MD Vice President APUA, +1-617-732-6803, Stuart Levy, MD,
President APUA, +1-617-636-6764, Kathleen Young, Executive Director,
+1-617-636-3758, Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA),
+1-617-636-0966