An in-depth examination of local and global pandemics was the subject of discussion at last week’s Great Decisions lecture series at UW-Milwaukee.

Director of the Center for Disease Control and Environmental Health for the City of Milwaukee Health Department Paul Biedrzycki examined current methods of disease pandemic control, and also addressed bio-terrorism issues.

Biedrzycki used the contemporary comparison of the spread of the H1N1 virus, or Swine Flu, throughout the country to illustrate many of his points.

The fact that H1N1 was prevalent in younger people during this particular pandemic, rather than in much older individuals, was something that Biedrzycki expressed interest in.

“We think that a there was a similar virus 50 to 60 years ago circulating, similar, not identical, as this pandemic new virus,” Biedrzycki said, indicating immunity as the possible reason that the old were not affected like the young.

However, Biedrzycki mentioned that the CDC vaccines for H1N1 still have yet to be used up. About 155 million vaccines were shipped to states, and only about 86 million people were vaccinated.

Notions of mistrust in the government, Biedrzycki said, were a factor in the lack of vaccine intake by the American populace.

“The program was voluntary,” Biedrzycki said. “A lot of people were really suspicious that this was a mandatory government program.” The remainder of the vaccine, if not used within the next 12-18 months, will have to be thrown away.

Regardless of the lack of participation, Biedrzycki pointed out that the vaccinations were a great exercise in management of a public pandemic. Even though plans are often made on paper, the CDC does not always get to put such plans into action.

“It was an excellent exercise,” Biedrzycki said. “Very well run. You never get a chance to practice it in this way.”

Biedrzycki asked if things would have proceeded as orderly and as calmly as they did had this been a severe flu, or even an aerosolized anthrax attack.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in pandemic flu,” Biedrzycki said. “It’s managing public expectations in a certain environment that’s going to be the most challenging.”

Biedrzycki pointed out that the CDC is still grappling with ways in which to do effective risk communication to the American population.

Furthermore, the notion that the American government is much more lax in terms of containing the travel, especially by air, of sick passengers than other countries was a key point. Biedrzycki noted that other countries are very serious about screening for diseases when boarding planes.

Closing his speech, Biedrzycki turned to the possibility to bio-terrorism. An image flashed on the wall, which indicated threats on a chart, measuring likelihood of occurrence alongside potential impact. For example, while a nuclear bomb has a high potential impact, it has a low likelihood of occurrence. Bio-terrorism has both a high likelihood of occurrence as well as a high likelihood of impact.

Anthrax was used as an illustrative point by Biedrzycki.

“Think of a thimble kind of spreading evenly in this room, infecting most of you within 96 hours with about 80 percent of you dying,” Biedrzycki said.

Some occurrences of bio-terrorism have taken place in homegrown attacks. A cult tried to influence a local election in 1984 by spraying salmonella on a salad bar at a restaurant. Another individual contaminated the donuts where she worked because of workplace disputes.

“This stuff isn’t science fiction, really,” Biedrzycki said in a casually stern manner.