Cape Co. seeking quarantine ordinance

~ In a pandemic, the ability to act quickly would be essential, commissioners said.

Cape Girardeau County officials hope to become a model of preparedness for a pandemic. A proposed ordinance would give officials the power to swiftly quarantine infected patients or areas at the first sign of an outbreak.

"The chances of this happening are very, very remote, just like the chances of an earthquake are very remote," said Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones. "But if either one ever happened we better darned well be prepared."

The ordinance under discussion would give authority to the county public health center, under the direction of Charlotte Craig, to isolate individuals, establish places of quarantine and adopt emergency policies in the case of an avian-flu-like pandemic.

Power would be centralized because in an outbreak time would be of the essence, commissioners said.

"This could be something that, bang, with two hours' notice someone comes to town and Charlotte has to make a decision to pull the trigger," said Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle. "This isn't something where you have time for city council to meet and deliberate."

In Missouri, only St. Louis and Jackson counties have instituted similar ordinances.

Officials say county residents could not rely on bigger cities or even the federal government in the event of a pandemic.

"We can't call up to St. Louis; they'll have their own problems to deal with," said infectious disease specialist Dr. Theodore Grieshop, whose practice is in Cape Girardeau. "We'll be expected to take care of our own citizens. In fact, we'll probably be getting calls from places like Hayti and Caruthersville."

To date, avian flu has infected 184 humans and has been fatal for 103. Its victims have been mainly in Asia, but infected birds have been found in Great Britain, France and North Africa. With wild birds currently migrating north for the summer, the disease could jump across great distances.

The World Health Organization recommends three major tools in the case of community infection: quarantine, vaccination and anti-viral treatment.

The proposed ordinance covers the first of these tools. "This is a baby step," Swingle said. "It's going to be the police officers and the first responders who are going to have to enforce this if it ever comes down to it."

Swingle cited a case he dealt with years ago where a man infected with tuberculosis refused quarantine and had to be forcibly isolated. A similar case could be catastrophic if avian flu were involved. "We've got to have the authority to act fast," he said. "Hopefully this is just an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure."

Doctors present stressed that imagining the impact of an event like avian flu is not just idle speculation. It has happened here before.

In 1918, the Spanish flu hit Cape Girardeau. In the last three months of that year, the city suffered five deaths per day. The state spent $2 million on pine coffins to bury the dead.

With today's population, an equivalent toll would be 40 deaths per day.

The ordinance was introduced Thursday night to elected officials from eight of Cape Girardeau County's 10 incorporated municipalities. Only Delta and Allenville were not represented.

Jones said the commission is not required by law to put an ordinance like this in front of municipal officials, but "we want everybody to understand what this is all about."

"This ordinance would have a big impact on schools, universities, businesses," Jones said. "We need to work together, because who else is going to go with me to tell Procter and Gamble they need to shut down because of quarantine?"

County commissioners are asking elected officials to sign a "cooperative memoranda of understanding" endorsing the ordinance. The commission will hold a similar meeting with area first responders and vote on the ordinance in approximately 30 days.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245