School of Rural Public Health Dr. Sumaya on national committee developing H1N1 flu recommendations

Ciro Sumaya, M.D., M.P.H.T.M., professor in the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health and holder of the Cox Endowed Chair in Medicine, is one of 15 experts developing clinical recommendations for the influenza H1N1 voluntary vaccination program announced this month by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Sumaya is a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which will convene a special meeting July 29 to review currently available data on H1N1 spread, emerging risk factors, vaccine development and communications strategies. The committee also will provide recommendations for the use of pandemic vaccines for the coming influenza season.

“It is highly important to monitor carefully the spread of this novel strain of influenza virus , changes in its composition and its capacity to cause severe and fatal disease, and know fully which factors place certain people at greater risk,” Dr. Sumaya said. “A vaccine for the H1N1 virus is scheduled to be available before the influenza season.”

Dr. Sumaya was founding dean of the HSC-School of Rural Public Health and administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health spearheading the federal initiative on the Future of Academic Health Centers.

USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness responds to influenza outbreak with educational materials for partners

In response to the current 2009 H1N1 Flu (swine flu) outbreak, the USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness in the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health has made available toolkits, training modules and public education resources to its local, state and national partners.

According to Barbara Quiram, Ph.D., professor in the HSC-School of Rural Public Health and center director, the center has provided a wide range of downloadable resources that include “Infection Protection in the Classroom Setting” with background information on infectious disease and activities for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, middle school and teenagers; “Infection Prevention in the Workplace” training module; and an “Infection Control for Promotores” training module in Spanish, with a lesson plan guide in both English and Spanish.

These materials, along with the latest information on the 2009 H1N1 Flu from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and the Texas Department of State Health Services, are online at the center’s website, www.rural-preparedness.org. The website will be updated as new resources become available.

“We encourage you to share this information and these resources with others,” Dr. Quiram said. “Our goal is to make all of this information widely available.”

The USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness works with internal and external partners to promote development of skills and competencies that support the nine CDC goals for emergency response and preparedness in primarily rural states and rural sections of the country. Funding is from state and local partners and a grant provided by the CDC as part of the Centers for Public Health Preparedness program.

USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness and Texas AgriLife

County Government Today (pdf) features the USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness