The City Health Information document was developed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as a primer for primary care physicians. It provides information on several key issues: 1) Screening and isolation protocols for contagious diseases (including H5N1 influenza); 2) Detection and reporting of suspect H5N1 cases; 3) Infection control precautions; 4) Surge capacity planning; and 5) Contingency planning for employee health. A section of the bulletin also briefly discusses the use of antiviral agents and pandemic vaccine. The document offers a good summary of basic information that can be useful in any clinical care settings during a pandemic, and it could easily be adapted to other locations. New York City providers who complete a brief quiz after reading the document have the opportunity to submit their answers for Continuing Medical Education and Continuing Nursing Education credit.
