Colorado is relatively prepared for the avian flu or other public health emergencies, according to an annual report card from the Trust for America’s Health.
Colorado, along with 20 other states and the District of Columbia, scored in the highest of three preparedness tiers. Eastern states generally appeared better prepared — the only others west of the Mississippi River that scored in the top tier were Missouri, Idaho and Washington.
The report used 10 indicators meant to give an idea of whether states are prepared for fires, floods, infectious disease outbreaks and other types of disasters. Those included the percentage of residents who got the seasonal flu shot, how many people have a potentially unsafe water source and whether the state allows nurses licensed elsewhere to work there without a lengthy process.
It also highlighted Colorado’s work on the H5N1 avian flu, including a requirement to test milk batches and its offer of free protective equipment to farms. Ten people in Colorado who worked with dairy cattle or poultry tested positive last year, but none became seriously ill.
Nationwide, 70 people have had confirmed H5N1 infections, and one died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of those who tested positive worked with cows or poultry, though a handful of cases had other possible risk factors, such as drinking raw milk.
A study found eight additional dairy workers in Colorado and Michigan had antibodies showing they’d recovered from an avian flu infection, suggesting the country hasn’t identified all cases. Four reported mild symptoms, and four didn’t remember getting sick.
Currently, the risk to humans from H5N1 is low, but infectious disease experts worry that if more people become infected, the virus could eventually hit on a lucky mutation that lets it spread from person to person more easily.
While Colorado did well on most preparedness indicators, it has a few vulnerabilities, said Matt McKillop, a senior health policy researcher and analyst at the Trust for America’s Health.
The state hasn’t developed a “surge” plan if its public health laboratory suddenly had to ramp up capacity, and the percentage of residents who got a flu shot has declined in recent seasons — though vaccine fatigue is a problem nationwide, he said.
“We wouldn’t want (a high score) to lead to complacency,” he said.
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