Scientists continue research on H1N1 virus

World looks to Center for Disease Control for answers during health crisis

By: Dahleen Glanton

Posted: 5/7/09

ATLANTA(MCT) - On a large campus outfitted with armed guards and high-tech surveillance, hundreds of doctors, researchers and other health professionals have been working around the clock at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to unravel the mystery surrounding the swine flu outbreak.

Whenever a major health crisis strikes anywhere from a tiny community to a continent, the world turns to the CDC to diagnose the problem, disseminate information and help control it.

Laboratories line a narrow hallway in a building dedicated to the study of infectious diseases. Inside, under tight security, researchers in white lab jackets and rubber gloves work with samples that have been flown in from around the world, testing them for the presence of the virus.

Serious cases, such as those involving critically ill patients in an intensive care unit, move to the head of the line. But others are tested on a first-come, first-served basis, a system that caused a backlog of unconfirmed cases in cities such as Chicago in recent days.

Until this week, the CDC has had to test every reported case from the latest outbreak, but in coming days states will be able to run their own tests with kits supplied by the agency. The CDC, however, will continue to test severe cases and monitor enough samples to stay abreast of the situation, officials said.

"We've had a pretty heavy load of specimens coming in. ... We're getting samples from all of the (northern) hemisphere," said Michael Shaw, associate director for laboratory science at the CDC.

Since the outbreak, the CDC has revved up its Emergency Operations Center, a command post for epidemiologists, liaisons from the Federal Drug Administration and other teams.

Across a narrow aisle, dozens of people, called action officers, sit at long rows of desks, monitoring computers and answering phone calls from health departments, doctors and regular citizens. Most of the information they need is on the CDC Web site, but when there is a health crisis, people prefer to hear a voice, said Operations Manager Toby Crafton.

"The biggest thing now is guidance for school closings and community mitigation measures," he said.

In the front of the room, a wall of interactive image screens provides updated information about the number of cases, where they occurred and maps showing distribution of the antiviral drugs from the Strategic National Stockpile. Cable TV news broadcasts constantly on large screens.

"We want to know about anything, such as a hurricane or a tornado that might impact what we are doing," Crafton said. "We have the news on all the time."