NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

By: Denise Lineberry

In the spring of 2009, cases of human infection with Novel Influenza A H1N1 (Swine flu) were confirmed in Mexico and in parts of the United States.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from April 15 - July 24, 2009, states reported a total of 43,771 confirmed and probable cases of H1N1. Of those, 5,011 people were hospitalized and 302 people died.

Although a typical flu season does not begin until November, H1N1 viruses are already scattering. And employees might be, too.

There are known cases of employees at NASA Langley who have been diagnosed with H1N1, but an exact number is not known because supervisors are not allowed to ask employees about medical conditions. The affected employees divulged all of the reported cases.

What can we do to prepare for a pandemic at NASA Langley?

Pat Cowin leads a discussion in a Pandemic Plan Working Group meeting. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith

Click image to enlarge

That question is being answered by the Pandemic Plan Working Group, which is comprised of subject matter experts from human resources, the clinic, procurement, security, facilities, Information Technology (IT), public affairs and safety. The lead for the group is Pat Cowin.

“The folks on the Pandemic Plan Working Group have done a great job assembling the information and strategies needed to help keep our employees healthy and the center running smoothly,” Cowin said.

They meet weekly to discuss, prepare and present scenarios that will ready them for an actual pandemic.

A scenario provided Wednesday gave members a list of people within their organizations. Every third employee on the list was highlighted, indicating a simulated infection with H1N1. It is up to the representative to determine who will perform what functions in their absence.

The goal is to figure out how to maintain support of NASA’s mission with a third of the workforce absent. The outcome of this drill will help the group to discover possible flaws in their plans. Center leadership will be briefed on their results.

One obvious preparation is vaccination.

The NASA Langley Health Clinic has been pre-registered with the Virginia Department of Health as a site for administering the H1N1 vaccine to employees and contractors when it becomes available.

The seasonal influenza shot is expected to arrive at the center as early as Oct. 20. There is no estimated date, yet, for the H1N1 vaccinations to arrive.

The working group does know, however, that they will get the vaccine in portions.

“I am confident that we will get enough to accommodate everyone, but it will not all come at once,” Cowin said.

Anyone can refuse the vaccine, but employees are encouraged to get both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccinations. The H1N1 vaccine recipients will be prioritized, and then it will be offered to employees on a “first-come, first-served basis,” according to Cowin.

To date, the group has developed a draft pandemic plan and informational flyers and posters. It ordered a bulk of hand-sanitizer for common areas across the center and created a Pandemic Preparedness Web site.

Also, the IT infrastructure was evaluated to ensure that it would handle a possible expanded and extended demand for teleworking.

The Pandemic Plan Working Group invited an expert speak to the center. Edward Oldfield, director of the Infectious Disease Division of Eastern Virginia Medical School, spoke to NASA Langley employees on Thursday about what to anticipate.

Edward Oldfield spoke to a crowd about H1N1 at NASA Langley's Pearl Young Theatre. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith

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According to Oldfield, 7 percent of emergency room visits are due to H1N1. In the U.S., most of the H1N1 is in the Southeast. In Virginia, most H1N1 activity is occurring in the center of the state.

“The current H1N1 is below a Category 1, resulting in voluntary home isolation. As a weather comparison, it is a tropical storm in severity,” Oldfield said. He then displayed an image of the damage to his house from Isabel, which was a tropical storm when it hit this area. Oldfield made the point that lower risk predications can also do damage.

He explained that this fall introduces the “second wave” of the H1N1. This wave is typically worse than the spring wave, because H1N1 intensifies when the humidity is lower.

“It is unpredictable, but it is already starting to take off,” Oldfield said.

He referenced the H1N1 pandemic of 1918, which was a Category 5. “In 1918, H1N1 took more lives in a year than the Black Death did in a century,” Oldfield said.

An estimated 50 to 100 million people died in 1918. Most were 15 - 45, a completely different population than those who are affected by the seasonal flu.

The current H1N1 is mostly affecting young people, ages 5 - 24.

And also, according to Oldfield, there is almost no H1N1 activity in people over 65. “Those born by 1957 have a natural immunity to H1N1,” he said. It’s a benefit for those who survived the pandemic of 1918, which circulated until 1957.

Oldfield stated that the U.S. has the potential to produce five billion doses of vaccine in the next month. The initial target group to receive the vaccine includes -- but is not limited to --pregnant women, caregivers, children, healthcare professionals and those with pre-existing medical conditions. That is an estimated 159 million people.

“The doses required are purchased by the U.S. government at no cost to you,” Oldfield said. “It will be sent to state-designated receiving sites.”

One of those sites will be NASA Langley, making vaccinations available to employees and contractors.

According to Oldfield, the vaccinations are considered 85 to 90 percent effective in prevention.

Information on how much will be received and when is forthcoming.

The working group has created a Pandemic Preparedness Web site to keep employees and their families informed about a possible flu pandemic. Resources range from tips for staying healthy during the flu season to official employee guidance in case of a pandemic and the latest news, including the availability of vaccines, the spread of the pandemic and center status. Information will be added to the site as conditions merit.

Check it out at: http://safety.larc.nasa.gov/Events/Event227/Pandemic2009.htm


 
NASA Langley Research Center
Managing Editor: Jim Hodges
Executive Editor and Responsible NASA Official: H. Keith Henry
Editor and Curator: Denise Lineberry