Pandemic Prepared

This page serves all Okinawa based service members and their families, as well as all DoD employees, with "self-service" information regarding Pandemic Influenza, Organizational Preparation and Response Measures, Individual Response Measures, Points of Contact, and Volunteer Information. This site will promote family readiness and Force Health Protection (FHP) through a network of communication aimed at integrating the response efforts of family members, DoD employees, the chain of command and community resources. To find out more about influenza, check out the links to the under the Education Material button.

Every year we experience seasonal influenza outbreaks, annually resulting in more than 200,000 hospital visits and roughly 36,000 deaths in United States alone. The predictable nature of seasonal influenza has allowed vaccine development, which is made available every year and is highly recommended as a preventive measure to protect your health.

Recently, you may have noticed media coverage on what is commonly referred to as Pandemic influenza (PI), outlining federal and local planning efforts intended to minimize illness in the event of an outbreak. H1N1 (Swine), H5N1 (Avian) primary diseases which can be transmitted from animal hosts to humans. Both the H5N1 and H1N1 viruses has caused hundreds of human cases with varying mortality rates. While the index cases of H1N1 (swine) appear directly linked to the Mexico cases, it appears that its transmission is quickly spreading to all parts of the world. The H5N1 (avian) appears to have limited transmission between humans, with almost all human cases of avian influenza having resulted from direct contact with infected birds.

Even though no human cases of avian influenza or swine influenza have been documented in Japan, the governments of Japan and the U.S. have developed response plans. A pandemic could result with high death rates worldwide, and could impact our readiness as a military unit. You should know that the most effective means of protection is practicing good cough etiquette, washing your hands often, receiving your annual flu vaccination, and staying home from work/school if you are experiencing a flu-like illness.