The CDC is a government epidemiological authority that
exists for just the kind of challenge that swine flu today presents.
The agency is given the mandate of identifying outbreaks of contagious
disease and finding ways to help contain them and cure them. They work
on each new illness, identify new protocols and strategies to fight
them, help hospitals and healthcare professionals, and public health
offices learn about new treatment protocols and think of new
precautions to take for a new disease. All of these have come into play
with a new swine flu outbreak. The CDC has kept up a steady
communication with doctors and hospitals through the country to keep
them updated with their latest findings. The CDC has a program called
the Strategic National Stockpile that makes sure that there are enough
antiviral medicines, masks and supplies to go around different parts of
the country to help everyone deal with a new problem like swine flu.
The CDC has been working in tandem with health departments in every
state and county where swine flu has been reported. In Texas and
California for example, there are the following activities that the CDC
is overseeing to help with the situation:
- There is a steady eye kept on every district where infections in
people have been reported.
- Healthcare workers
helping victims of swine flu are kept under close
watch for possible signs of infection themselves.
- Family members of swine flu patients are also kept under close watch
for information on new cases that seem to appear this way.
- Schools where cases of swine flu have been found, have been kept
under observation for information on how this disease spreads in
schools.
- Patients are observed to see how long they remain contagious
themselves after they contact the disease.
- District level health officials are given control over medicines
allocated to the district. The CDC makes sure that all government
health departments work in good coordination to make medicines
available in the places they are needed. The CDC cedes control over to
local officials after delivering supplies to them.
This then is the important role played by the CDC in the outbreak of a
disease such as swine flu.
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