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Straight ahead on "Our World" ... Will your doctor come to work in the pandemic? ... looking down at the clouds ... And the slippery question of one universe, or many ...
KAKU: "If this picture is correct, then our universe is a 'soap bubble' of some sort existing with other soap bubbles. And our multiverse is like a bubble bath"
Got that? Those stories, Earth Day on our Website of the Week, and more. I'm Art Chimes. Welcome to VOA's science and technology magazine, "Our World."
The medical story dominating U.S. news reports this week was an unusual outbreak in the midwest of the mumps, a viral disease which has sickened more than a thousand people ? mainly high school and university students.
Mumps used to be a common childhood disease, but since the 1960s, mass vaccination has made it uncommon. Most people recover in a week or so, but occasionally it can cause meningitis, sterility in men, and miscarriages in women.
Meanwhile, international public health officials continue to monitor the spread of avian, or bird flu. Scientists are alert for the possibility of a mutation in the H5N1 virus, which could allow it to spread easily among humans, possibly leading to a devastating flu pandemic.
Economists are already warning about the financial impact of a pandemic, with millions sick or dead, and many more afraid to leave home to work or shop.
But you have to wonder ? If truck drivers and teachers won't report to work, will health workers be any more likely to show up?
Dan Barnett at Johns Hopkins University's School of Public Health wondered about that, too, so he surveyed public health workers, asking if they would come to work in the face of a flu pandemic. What they found was sobering.
BARNETT: "Forty-six-point-two percent of the workers surveyed stated they are unlikely to report to duty during an influenza pandemic. And so basically that's almost half of the public health workforce."
Barnett and his colleagues based their findings on a survey of about 300 people at public health agencies in mostly rural counties in the state of Maryland. No large cities were included, but he says these counties are typical in that most U.S. public health agencies serve fewer than a half-million people. And they're consistent with the results of a larger survey done last year in New York City.
The stated willingness to come to work during a pandemic seemed to depend on the kind of job the person has. The clinical staff ? doctors and nurses ? were more likely to say they would work than those in support jobs.
BARNETT: "And this is critical because, while many people often think that public health response will be led by clinicians, clerical and technical support staff ? people who answer telephones, for example, in health departments, are really the glue that will keep the public health infrastructure running during a pandemic. And also, these are the first people who the public may interface with when they call in with a question about pandemic-related health effects. And so that first point of contact is absolutely critical in pandemic influenza response."
Public health workers are charged with educating the public on disease threats and how to minimize the danger. Dan Barnett of Johns Hopkins says his survey points out the need to educate the public health workers themselves.
BARNETT: "One of the key take-home messages of our study is that we need to consider public health responders as an audience that needs to receive risk communication, not just deliver it. These are individuals with families, just like anyone else. And these findings really highlight the importance of looking at attitudes toward response, not just knowledge and skills."
Barnett's paper was published this week in the journal "BMC Public Health."
Preparation will be key to responding to a flu pandemic. Health experts say the medical records of household pets could serve as an early warning system for diseases such as avian flu. Rebecca Williams has our report.
WILLIAMS: The health records of thousands of dogs and cats throughout the country are tracked by the National Companion Animal Surveillance Program.
Larry Glickman helped design the system. He's an epidemiologist at . He says it was originally designed to track anthrax or plague outbreaks in pets. Glickman says now, the system could be used to monitor pets for avian flu symptoms.