You are a public health officer for Rainbird County, an urban and rural county in central California. This morning, you were having breakfast at the local diner and you overheard a conversation that concerned you. Apparently, there have been suspicious poultry deaths at several chicken farms in the community. One of the farmers described his birds as having respiratory problems (coughing, sneezing, and nasal discharge), but he mentioned little else in terms of specific symptoms. Further complicating the situation, when you arrive at your office, you are briefed that the local hospital has reported some patients presenting with flu-like symptoms that are not progressing in the traditional manner.

In the diner, the crux of the conversation you overheard was that bird flu (avian influenza) has come to Rainbird County. At the time, you were not overly concerned, but now that you have received this report about unusual human illnesses, you have become more concerned. If people are talking in the local coffee shops and diners, it will not be long until people come to you for information and you will need to address those requests for information, as well as satisfy yourself about the exact nature of what is occurring in your county.

Go through the media piece Bird Flu Case Study: Strategic Decision-Making Process and track your choices and the outcomes.

Post a summary of your experiences in the case study that addresses the following:

• What was your first response to this situation? Explain why this was your first response.
• Did you get the outcome you expected? Why or why not?

Now, continue to describe your decisions through the case study. Refer to information you found in the media piece and explain why or why not you found it to be pertinent.

Response Guidelines

Respond to the post of at least one of your peers. Try to pick one that describes a different experience than yours and analyze why you think the two experiences were so different.