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Just because the bird flu has flown away from the headlines doesn't mean it is gone for good. Participants in a blog summit run by the US Department of Health and Human Services will try to address the issues surrounding a potential outbreak.

The Pandemic Flu Leadership blog opened recently, as the Cabinet-level HHS decided to open the question of preparing for a flu pandemic to a variety of leaders from the business, health care, civic, and faith communities.

Their summit will last for five weeks, with a different topic for each week leading to the leadership forum HHS will conduct on June 13th. Diva Marketing blogger Toby Bloomberg applauded the selection of a particular participant on the Flu Pandemic blog:

I was delighted to see Nedra Klein Weinreich among the prestigious experts. Nedra brings a wealth of social marketing and social media marketing experience to the conversation. Her first post addresses both topics and ask critical questions including how to best use social media in times of a public healthcare crisis.

• What are some of the methods we can use to reach each of the audiences with our messages? (e.g., online social networks, blogs, Oprah, school district newsletters)
• Who are the spokespeople that are seen as most credible by each audience? (e.g., local officials, doctors, peers)
• Who are the partners that we need to hook up with in order to best reach each audience? (e.g., doctors, “mommy bloggers,” media organizations)

Live blogging will happen on June 13th during the forum, with the following weeks presenting a report out of the event, and a discussion on making a successful move forward with pandemic preparedness.