Friday, February 15, 2008

Pandemic Flu Video Roundup


# 1668



NOTE: UPDATED LIST January 2009 HERE



Over the past year or so I've come across, and have highlighted, a number of pandemic related videos. Most of these remain available on the Internet, and they make for compelling viewing.


A list of some of the best follows:


BUSINESS NOT AS USUAL - Prepared by Public Health Seattle and King County (leaders in pandemic awareness and preparation in the US), this 20 minute video is a free download from the Internet or is available as a free DVD. If you watch just one video . . . make it this one.


A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN M. BARRY - Historian and author John M. Barry, whose seminal work The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History has probably done more to enlighten us on the events of the 1918 Spanish Flu than other book in history, visited MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) last month and participated in a conversation about his book.


Bird Flu: A Virus Of Our Own Hatching - The lecture based on his critically acclaimed book on bird flu, by Michael Greger. MD. An entertaining speaker who deals well with a disturbing subject; factory farming practices that have exacerbated the growth of zoonotic diseases worldwide. His book is freely available online here, and is highly recommended.


Utah Public Service Announcement - Only 30 seconds, but it packs a wallop, this TV spot has been running on local channels in that state for several months.


Larimer County's The Plan - How prepared are you to weather a disaster? Larimer county, Colorado has a particularly proactive health department. This 15 minute video gives a good intro into planning to deal with a pandemic. Check out the other videos on this page. Broadband and dialup speeds are supported.


Project Checkmate - IBM has a webpage devoted to bird Flu Here. The video can be viewed either High Bandwidth or Low Bandwidth, where they discuss Project Checkmate.


Countdown To Crisis- Hosted by First Responder Products, this film takes a hard look at Arizona's pandemic planning, and their annual Coyote Crisis drill. I first plied my skills as a paramedic in Scottsdale Arizona, so I'm heartened to see how seriously they are taking this threat.


Is the Bird Flu Threat Still Real? - A roundtable discussion presented by the Council on Foreign Relations with Bruce Gellin, Michael Osterholm, and Laurie Garrett.


Sadly, a number of good videos I've mentioned in the past are no longer available. Always best to watch them as soon as you can. There are no guarantees they will be available tomorrow.