The state is getting top marks in efforts to prepare for a pandemic flu outbreak.
A new report from the US Department of Health and Human Services ranks Wisconsin among the top states in the nation for its efforts to prepare for a pandemic. Stephanie Marquis with the state Department of Health Services says Wisconsin is looked to as a national leader on the issue.
Marquis says Wisconsin is making great progress in many key areas of preparation. Those include coordinating with hospitals, schools, the military and local government. She says state and local efforts are constantly being made to form plans and then test them, in situations such as massive flooding last summer.
Still, Marquis says the recognition is no reason to stop preparing for a potential flu pandemic. She says they are always looking at ways to improve Wisconsin's readiness to identify, isolate, and handle a major health epidemic.
Marquis says the report reflects the hard work done by many agencies.