GoKawiilNY drill finds 40% of health facilities failed to isolate mock bird-flu patients
New York health officials ran an unannounced exercise sending trained actors posing as H5 bird flu patients into regional healthcare facilities to test rapid identification and isolation protocols. Only 60 percent of facilities met basic benchmarks for masking and isolating the simulated patient, with many showing delays and inconsistent use of protective equipment, according to a report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.