Governor outlines state plan to fight bird flu

School closures, mass vaccinations and quarantines are among the worst-case steps the state could take if an aggressive strain of flu hits Minnesota.

State leaders, led by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, detailed a multi-step plan Thursday to cope with avian and pandemic flu. The plan ratchets up as the threat worsens.

A deadly strain of the so-called bird flu is blamed for 62 deaths in Asia, but it has yet to appear in the United States or show it can be transmitted through human-to-human contact.

Minnesota's pandemic flu plan was crafted in 1999, but government officials say they have been revising it to take newer threats into account.

Pawlenty said the government needs to walk a fine line between informing people of the threat and alarming them. He and other leaders went out of their way to note that chicken is safe to eat, an important nod given Minnesota's $1.5 billion poultry industry.

"This is one of the moments that as a nation, as a state, as communities we're going to have to be on our `A' game," Pawlenty said. "It's better to be overprepared than not prepared. If we're going to err on any side of the ledger, we're going to err on the side of overpreparation and more action."

He was flanked by the heads of public safety, agriculture, health and military agencies at a new $60 million state research lab that would figure prominently into any response. Pawlenty designated the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management as the lead agency.

The plan is essentially a roadmap government would follow if a pandemic flu outbreak is detected.

For example, if the flu is found only in birds, animal health agents would quarantine or dispose of infected flocks. If a virus is detected in humans but deemed a low risk of spreading, the state would isolate those affected and medicate them and the people they come in contact with.

The most severe steps would be taken if a highly contagious flu is found. Then, the government could close schools and public gathering places, open field hospitals and begin mass vaccinations.

Dr. Harry Hull, the state epidemiologist, said the goal would be to vaccinate the state's entire population within a week of a pandemic flu outbreak.

Pawlenty said the federal government promises to work with states to obtain flu vaccine once it is developed.

Hull said informing people of the government's plan is key to making it work.

"People who understand what is happening and who have the best information available and know how to protect themselves to the best of their ability are less likely to panic," he said.

By Brian Bakst, Associated Press Writer

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