By Shalina Ramirez

Paris Regional Medical Center participated in a drill Tuesday to test the region’s ability to respond to a bird flu pandemic.

The two-hour simulation was organized by the Texas Department of State Health Services Northeast Texas Regional Advisory Council.

Emergency specialists and other personnel from Texarkana, Titus County and Hopkins County also responded to the drill.

The exercise was designed to allow area hospitals to practice disaster response skills and identify areas for improvement.

No harmful devices were used during the drill and participants filled the roles they would have in a real emergency. Volunteers played patients.

In the simulation, faux e-mail communications to participating entities noted the supposed spread of avian influenza – commonly called “bird flu.”

On Tuesday, the flu reached critical levels at several hospitals, including PRMC.

Eight to 10 people reported flu-like symptoms and were taken to a screening area set up by the ambulance bay on PRMC's south campus.

Wearing gloves and a face mask, registered nurse Kim Miller set up a desk where patients underwent evaluation and testing for the bird flu.

“If the patient tested positive, they will be sent to an isolation to prevent further spread,” said Bernie Morgan, PRMC patient relations coordinator.

Of the few avian influenza viruses that have crossed the species barrier, H5N1 has caused the largest number of detected cases and death in humans.

Though it mainly has struck birds, there have been 381 human cases in 14 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Most of the human cases have occurred in people who live and work closely with poultry. A few cases have been documented of the disease spreading from person to person.

According to WHO, human-to-human transmission of bird flu has happened about a dozen times in the past, in countries including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

In nearly every case, transmission has occurred among blood relatives who have been in close contact. The virus has not spread into the wider community, according to WHO.

Many flu experts worry that H5N1 will spark a pandemic, potentially killing millions worldwide. But despite circulating widely in Asia and beyond since late 2003, the virus rarely infects humans.