Edmonton Becomes 1st Urban Centre In N America To Stockpile Cold-FX® For Police, Fire And Paramedics As Part Of Flu Pandemic Preparedness Plans

Edmonton, Canada's sixth largest city, will stockpile COLD-fX® for frontline emergency workers as part of a broad pandemic preparedness plan, CV Technologies Inc. (TSX:CVQ) announced. "This is one more tool we can add to our pandemic preparedness toolkit," said Bob Black, Director of Edmonton's Office of Emergency Preparedness. "There are so many unknowns in planning for a possible pandemic that anything we can do to be prepared makes sense. As cities across North America consider the challenges associated with a pandemic, we need to take every reasonable precaution to help our emergency personnel stay on the job, so they can help others." The City of Edmonton has had a general public health emergency contingency plan in place since 2003 and has one full-time planner working strictly on pandemic preparedness. The plan includes: -- measures to protect City staff from the effects of the pandemic influenza; -- steps to maintain essential services during periods of staff shortages due to illness; -- support mechanisms for Edmonton's Capital Health region during a pandemic. As part of the Company's social responsibility program, a $250,000 supply of COLD-fX will be made available to the City through a cost-sharing arrangement with CV Technologies, the makers of COLD-fX. The supply will be available for use by police, fire and emergency medical personnel - all key City employees. "COLD-fX has potential to provide additional protection to front line workers," said Dr. Jacqueline Shan, president, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of CV Technologies. "Vaccines may also offer some protection. However current vaccines are not likely to be completely effective if a virus mutates, which is what medical experts fear might happen with the avian flu virus." In addition, it takes between four to six months after the virus strikes to develop an effective vaccine, added Dr. Shan. "During this time, COLD-fX may help provide additional protection to front line workers by enhancing their immune systems." While COLD-fX has a five-year shelf life, CV Technologies has developed contingency plans to ensure that the City of Edmonton will always have access to a fresh supply of COLD-fX regardless of when it might decide to employ it. About the City of Edmonton Vibrant and culturally diverse, Edmonton is one of Canada's most desired places to live, learn, work, invest and visit. Edmonton is a world leader in healthcare research and innovation, education, and environmental stewardship. Home to more than one million people and the global port to more than $100 billion in northern oil sands development, Alberta's capital is an economic powerhouse offering a prime combination of business opportunity and quality of life.

(Author: www.edmonton.ca)

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