There are more questions than answers about how Natrona County would respond to a pandemic flu.

But the questions are important ones, said health officials planning for the possibility of a new, widespread flu virus that could sicken a quarter of the community at once.

For example, if nurses and caregivers at assisted living facilities were ill or home caring for their own families, who would look after Wyoming's seniors?

"How are you going to take care of 48 people?" asked Judy Steffens, life enrichment director at Garden Square Assisted Living of Casper. "It's scary to me."

Steffens joined about 20 people in the health care, education, media and volunteer fields at a meeting Wednesday at the Casper-Natrona County Health Department. While the Wyoming Medical Center and other health facilities have emergency plans, few are specifically prepared for a health event where so much of the population could be ill at once.

They talked at the meeting about putting a "triage line" into place where people could call a trained volunteer, describe their symptoms, and receive medical advice so as not to overwhelm the emergency room.

Another question: Would it make sense to close the schools?

"There are two differing viewpoints," said department director Bob Harrington.

Some think schools should close to slow the spread of the virus, he said.

But Harrington and other top county and state health officials say it wouldn't make much of a difference.

Dr. Mark Dowell, infectious disease specialist, said the flu spreads so quickly, people pass it on before they know they're sick.

And closing schools would add to the disruption in town if all children were sent home. Their parents would have to leave work to care for them.

The group said schools might close only if there weren't enough students or teachers healthy to keep them open.

As to whether students could still have class through distance learning, Natrona County School District head nurse Suzey Delger said it would be too big a task for the district to develop distance courses for all levels of education. If students missed a lot of school, the district might extend the school year, she said.

Nurse Tracy Hasely at Casper College said she has e-mail contact with the student body and could warn them of a health issue at the click of a button. The college will have to consider how, during a health emergency, to keep on-campus students safe, housed and fed, Hasely said.

Communities have to plan because there won't be help from the federal government, Harrington said.

He attended the state pandemic flu summit in Cheyenne on Friday, when Mike Leavitt, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, said communities are on their own.

Harrington said most other Wyoming counties haven't begun planning.

"I'm really proud to say we're way ahead of most people, just by the fact that we're doing this," he said.

Reach Barbara Nordby at (307) 266-0633 or at barbara.nordby@casperstartribune.net.