Fairfax Issues Pandemic Flu Response Plan

It's largely a communications plan that dispassionately lays out military-style procedures that would be set in motion at the first sign of a pandemic. The goal is to minimize the transmission of a highly contagious virus while keeping the county government of 11,000 employees running, albeit with truncated services.

Taking its cue from federal officials, the county would track individual infections through reporting by local doctors and hospitals. Sites would be set up across the county to distribute a potential vaccine or medicine, and sick people could be forced into quarantine.

The county would communicate a series of sobering messages: A pandemic has been declared somewhere in the world, and Fairfax may soon experience illnesses and deaths. A pandemic could last as long as 18 months. And residents should practice good hygiene -- washing their hands and covering their mouths when they cough -- to prevent the spread of germs.

Many county employees would work from home, and hundreds could be diverted from their jobs in libraries, parks and other "nonessential" agencies to help with the emergency response. Critical personnel would include police and fire rescue workers and those in utilities and wastewater treatment. Heads of agencies are supposed to designate replacements who could fill in if they get sick.

And as a pandemic approached, thousands of other people would be ordered to stay home, steering clear of trains, buses, malls and other places where they would come into close contact with others.

The response could get particularly challenging in a county of more than 1 million people, thousands of whom do not speak English. As many as 51,000 of those infected would be low-income residents without regular access to medical care, the response plan says.

"Trying to do mass vaccinations, for example, would be a huge challenge," county spokeswoman Merni Fitzgerald said. "We are so big that we can't just say, 'Everybody show up at once place.' "

A flu outbreak could last six to eight weeks, with two waves over 18 months, the report says.

As more people get sick, waves of panic could spread, with increased calls to police. "Civil disturbances and breakdowns in public order may occur," the plan says. Crime could jump as police officers might be diverted from traditional duties.

And security problems could be rampant as people might fight for access to limited vaccines and medication. Health-care workers, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses would get first priority.