Re: [padg] avian flu pandemic planning

["Cybulski, Walter (NIH/NLM) [E]" <Cybulskw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

OSHA's "Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic"
includes a paragraph about how influenza can spread. The spread would be mainly airborne but note: "To a lesser degree, human influenza is spread by touching objects contaminated with influenza virus and then tranferring the infected material from the hands to the nose, mouth or eyes. ... The contribution of each route of exposure to influenza transmission is uncertain at this time and may vary based upon the characteristics of the influenza strain." 

-Walter Cybulski
NLM

----- Original Message -----
From: Cybulski, Walter (NIH/NLM) [E]
To: padg@xxxxxxx <padg@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon Mar 03 07:49:29 2008
Subject: Re: [padg] avian flu pandemic planning

Hi Andy:

Unfortunately I am not at NLM today but have forwarded your question. For starters I would advise anyone seeking answers specifically related to the spread of something like avian flu to NIH pandemic flu guidance.  For starters you can check http:www.pandemicflu.gov
I have not seen any specific guidance that addresses the possible role of shared physical objects (eg books or other collection materials) in the spread of an aiborne virus but will try to get a response from someone quailfied to answer.
- Walter Cybulski
NLM

----- Original Message -----
From: Andrew Hart <ashart@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Preservation Administration Discussion Group <padg@xxxxxxx>; Conservation DistList <consdist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon Mar 03 06:21:41 2008
Subject: [padg] avian flu pandemic planning


Apologies for cross-posting.

We are working on the library's part of a campus-wide effort to develop
contingency plans for an avian flu pandemic. I would be very interested
in examples anyone can share of plans or comments and observations from
similar planning efforts. In particular, I'm wondering if anyone has
thought about this from a preservation perspective? Of course, we'll
place the highest priority on safety for people, not collections. That
said, what are the potential risks to collections? If a pandemic is
severe enough to warrant shutting down the university, the main
preservation goals might be maintaining security, some level of
preparedness for a collections disaster, and environmental control when
facilities staff, the police force, and the fire department are
struggling to function. At an earlier stage or in a less severe
outbreak, how might we be affected? Has anyone looked into how long the
H5N1 virus can live on typical materials used for book covers? Would
there be reason to quarantine books on loan to or returned from
households that have people sick with the flu? If so, for how long? Will
there be calls to disinfect circulating books? (Remember the way mail
was treated during the anthrax scare a few years ago.) If so, what would
be a reasonable response?

While this may seem like a remote risk I've found it very sobering and
worrisome that our experts in public health and continuity of operations
are taking this very seriously. Anyone unfamiliar with the avian flu
a.k.a. H5N1 virus might be interested in the following:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/

Thanks in advance for any thoughts, advice, planning examples, etc. that
you can share on or off the list.

Andy

Andrew Hart
Preservation Librarian
CB#3910, Davis Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Tel. 919-962-8047
Fax 919-962-4450
ashart@xxxxxxxxxxxxx