Disease & Epidemics

Prepare for any public health risk: from the common cold or flu, to diseases and pandemics by using the following guidelines.

Seasonal Flu

Flu doesn't just come around in the Winter months and is potentially very dangerous to those with pre-existing medical conditions, the elderly and young children. Know how to protect yourself and get your flu shot.

What can you do.

Get your flu shot annually to protect against seasonal flu, practice good hygiene washing hands etc, follow advice from local public health on any other measures recommended, keep yourself informed.

• National Flu Surveillance Map
• Information of the flu and pandemic flu preparedness
• Preparedness information from the American Red Cross relating to a wide variety or emergency situations with good preparedness information in English and Spanish
• Center for Disease Control - A wide variety of useful advice and information on topics from diseases, environmental health and emergency preparedness to global health
• Nebraska Public Health Laboratory

Pandemic Flu

Your local Health Department in conjunction with the State and CDC to monitor, prevent and respond to an outbreak of pandemic flu. These plans are regularly and vigorously exercised in order to adequately protect the public.

What can you do.

Keep informed, listen for and follow instructions from local health authorities regarding preventative measures and where/when to collect medication.

• Preparedness information from the American Red Cross relating to a wide variety or emergency situations with good preparedness information in English and Spanish
• Flu information website from the CDC
• Center for Disease Control - A wide variety of useful advice and information on topics from diseases, environmental health and emergency preparedness to global health
• Nebraska Public Health Laboratory

BioTerroterrorism

We must all be vigilant to the possibility of terrorism including the possibility of a bio-terrorist attack. Terrorists seek to use diseases and hazardous material because they believe that they can cause panic by doing so. Local, State and Federal authorities work hard to ensure that such attacks are planned for and countermeasures are in place to prevent them from happening and to protect the public in the event of a result of a chemical, radiological or biological agent.

The best way to avoid panic is education and to understand what some of these agents are:

Nuclear/Radiological:

• Atomic Bomb: Very hard to get hold of, very difficult to deploy attack very unlikely
• Dirty Bomb: A conventional or low-yield nuclear device intended to cause widespread contamination of an area with radioactive contamination. Intended to cause panic. Very difficult to obtain nuclear material and deploy. Attack very unlikely. 
• View the Department of Homeland Security's Nuclear Security Page 

Chemical Weapons:

• Nerve Gas: Sarin, Tabun, VX
• Blood Agents: Hydrogen cyanide
• Blister Agents: Mustard Gas
• Choking Agents: Chlorine Gas
• Irritants: CS, Pepper Spray

Biological Weapons:

• Botulism
• Plague
• Tularemia

Animal Diseases:

The deliberate spreading of animal borne diseases from domestic or foreign sources intended to disrupt food supply and damage the agricultural and wider economy

For more information, visit the Homeland Security Website

• National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center
• Biological Attack Fact Sheet: Human Pathogens, Biotoxins, and Agricultural Threats

In the event of a release of biological agents you local health department in conjunction with State and Federal has plans for the dispensing of antibiotics to everyone in the community if needed. Click here for further information.

What can you do.

Keep informed, make suitable preparations to keep some water and food, medical supplies and other essentials you need for up to several days, listen for and follow advice from your local health authorities and most importantly – keep calm.

• Department of Homeland Security
• Information from the CDC on bioterrorism