King County is well prepared to respond to flu

Opinion | King County is well prepared to respond to flu | Seattle Times Newspaper

By Ron Sims

Special to The Times

AS the number of swine-flu cases in North America continues to climb, King County residents will be reassured to know we are one of the best-prepared governments in the country to deal with a possible flu pandemic. For the past four years, I have been actively leading King County to become better prepared to withstand the impacts if a large number of flu cases develop in our region.

In 2005, in partnership with the Metropolitan King County Council, I requested the appropriation of nearly $6 million in general-fund money for pandemic flu preparedness. Although it was controversial at the time, it has proved prudent that our early planning included buying enough antiviral medication to protect the health of all of our regional first responders — every police officer, firefighter and ambulance crew in King County and its cities.

The catalyst for this early planning was a realization of the truly global nature of our regional economy. From busy international airports and ports to local businesses and a local economy with myriad global ties, we knew our wonderful access to the world could also serve as a frighteningly efficient distribution network for a pandemic.

.....