Where's the plan?

I asked the teacher of C.O.R.E. about local pandemic preparedness plans. She informed me that pandemic preparedness is a county and not a city issue [?!?!?] Geez. I don't get it. Sure, the county deals with the health/hospital aspect of the thing. But, don't you think a pandemic response would necessitate police, fire, and city services? Geez, people, get with it.

But, does the county have a plan?

The website for Alameda County Public Health provides only a very basic informational flyer about the avian flu. Last updated: 9/23/05. [Although they do get props for having it in five languages.]

San Francisco Public Health website, on the other hand, is quite comprehensive, including detailed disease reporting requirements, current health advisories, and a "preparedness and response" guide for physicians. It's worth checking out. I added it to my links on the right.

12/11 UPDATE: The Washington Post reports on the "tabletop" pandemic preparedness drill conducted by the feds on Saturday.

The key finding:

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said the federal government alone cannot handle a major flu outbreak.

"State and local governments, state and local communities, schools need to have a plan, businesses need to have a plan, faith organizations need to have a plan," he said.

Again, who has the plan?