Ottawa’s Interagency Influenza Pandemic Plan

Community Groups and Agencies Have an Important Outreach Role

Experts estimate that an influenza pandemic could affect between 15 and 35 per cent of the population. In Ottawa, a 35 per cent infection rate would have a serious impact on the city’s functioning: almost 300,000 residents would be sick, 157,000 would seek medical assessment, 3,500 would be hospitalized and 780 could die.
Community groups and agencies will play an important outreach role during an influenza pandemic. With their close ties with special population groups and their established outreach networks, they are ideally positioned to coordinate assistance to individuals. They can also greatly help Ottawa residents to cope with an influenza pandemic.
The pandemic strain will most likely spread in the community rather than in health care settings. More than 95 per cent of people who are ill will recover in their homes, for about two to three weeks. They will need the help of family, friends and volunteers.
Ottawa’s Interagency Influenza Pandemic Plan spells out some key actions that community groups and agencies can take before, during and after an influenza pandemic – to help curtail serious illness and death and to minimize societal disruption in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Develop your own pandemic plan, taking into account Ottawa’s overarching plan, to act quickly and effectively during an emergency
Plan how you will maintain your essential services during an influenza pandemic – despite a potential employee or volunteer absentee rate of 15 to 35 per cent over a six- to eight-week period
Keep an up-to-date “fan-out” strategy to notify management and staff
Help people in your network to develop personal and family plans for self-sustainability in case of infrastructure failures
Establish procedures to reduce the spread of influenza
Carefully consider potential ways volunteers could help in the emergency response and how you would keep them safe
Stay informed – register for the Pandemic E-News bulletin at ottawa.ca/pandemicinfo to receive information on the current local situation and directives from the Medical Officer of Health

Provide support to community members who are confined to their homes during an illness, by assisting them with essential services like caring for children and family pets, cooking meals, and delivering groceries and vital supplies
Provide psychosocial support to persons experiencing stress and loss
Assist with implementing public health measures

Distribute public education materials (e.g., from Ottawa Public Health) to your network
Help prevent infections by encouraging frequent hand washing and proper cough/respiratory etiquette.
Implement social distancing (i.e., reduce close contacts between people) to prevent the spread of influenza
Comply with self-quarantine if necessary
Provide facilities for vaccination clinics

Debrief and evaluate your organization’s response.
Prepare for the next wave, which may occur within three to nine months of the initial outbreak and may also last about eight weeks.
The resources and capacity of all players are limited. An influenza pandemic will not only place increased demands upon all services, but also challenge human resource capacity in all sectors. Within this context, it is understood that community groups and agencies will fulfill their assigned responsibilities to the best of their ability.
The more prepared the public is for an influenza pandemic – and the more they know about how to care for someone with influenza – the less likely they are to panic and the more likely they will assist with caring for others in the community. Building this resiliency is essential.