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BOB HIRSHON(host):
Should we prepare for a pandemic? I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
Listener Maureen Milligan of Buffalo, New York, asks how, if at all, we should prepare for a flu pandemic. We spoke to pandemic flu expert Saad Omer of Johns Hopkins University. He says scientists don’t know exactly when a pandemic will hit, or how severe it will be. But people should be prepared to be self-sufficient at home, in case schools and businesses close. And he says people should make plans to work from home if possible, even if work is the last thing on their minds.
SAAD OMER (Johns Hopkins University):
…because the most important thing as a nation—or in fact as a human race—would be to be able to continue to function as an effective society.
HIRSHON:
For more information, he says to visit www.pandemicflu.gov.
If you have a science question, call us at 1-800-whyisit. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.