News - Officials to be briefed at hospital on avian flu - The Boston Globe

Marlborough Hospital will become one of the first hospitals in the Boston area to hold a session for community leaders to discuss preparedness for a possible avian flu outbreak.

With worries mounting around the country about the deadly virus, the hospital hopes to increase public awareness by teaching town officials, fire chiefs, and school nurses about the disease.

''We don't know if [a pandemic] is going to happen tomorrow or five years from now, but we have to be prepared," said Dr. Vibha Sharma, an infectious disease specialist at the hospital who says she has been flooded with questions from patients anxious about the disease.

Officials to be briefed at hospital on avian flu - The Boston Globe