Local Agencies Prepare For Swine Flu

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Local agencies met Monday to discuss a local swine flu preparedness plan.

NBC 4 is working to GET ANSWERS on the swine flu Monday.

ON THE WEB: Additional information is available on these local, state and national Web sites: http://www.publichealth.columbus.gov, http://www.ohiopandemicflu.gov, http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ and http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm.

The Ohio Department of Health confirmed a case of swine flu involving a 9-year-old boy from Lorain County Sunday. Lorain County is north of Central Ohio. The patient was considered to have a mild case of the disease and was recovering at home.

LOCAL RESPONSE TO SWINE FLU
No cases have been detected in Central Ohio. No cases have been reported or confirmed.

“We are taking this situation very seriously, and it is clearly evolving, CPH Health Commission Dr. Teresa Long said.

“This is a situation where we are learning more and more by the hour. Be assured. Our surveillance systems are in place, and we are actively monitoring disease in our community.“

Public health officials were concerned about how far the virus could spread and whether it could become a pandemic.

“We have actually been preparing,“ Franklin County Health Commissioner Susan Tilgner said. “You’ve heard us talk about (pandemic) flu and talking about what people need to do to prepare. Well, we’re prepared as well.“

The Franklin County Health Department and Columbus Public Health were following a joint pandemic operational plan.

One of the first steps in the plan is to monitor for Central Ohio cases.

“We do that with the great help from clinicians, local health-care providers, hospitals. When they see someone who has an influenza-like illness they look and make sure, check the symptoms to see if they’re consistent with this,” Tilgner said. If they are consistent with swine flu, they’ll then ask the patient where they’ve been and with whom they’ve been in contact.

CPH is working with local hospitals and schools and monitoring retail sales of over-the-counter flu medications.

“We are monitoring our surveillance, surveying the situation with over-the-counter sales of medications—whether it be anti-fever medication or anti-diarrheal medication. We’re also monitoring chief complaints that go to our ER here in Franklin County,“ CPH’s Dr. Mysheika Lemanile-Williams said.

The Ohio Health Department is working with the state Emergency Management Agency to assess the situation.

Both ODH and CPH were working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep on top of any new cases that develop.

If cases were confirmed locally—depending on the size of an outbreak—local health departments don’t necessarily have to wait for the federal government to send anti-viral medication to treat patients.

“Part of our preparedness locally has been to make sure we have supplies on hand locally as well so we’re not totally depending on the federal government bringing us supplies unless we were overwhelmed here,“ Tilgner said.

“I urge Ohioans to be alert to information about this new flu,“ ODH Director Dr. Alvin D. Jackson said. “In addition, the tried-and-true saying about washing hands and covering one’s cough remains sound medical advice.“

If a case were to shows up in Central Ohio, officials would quarantine the patient and family members to ensure no additional exposure, but officials don’t want to anyone to panic.

Local officials also met Sunday and said the swine flu is a strain of influenza they’ve never seen before. Officials said it’s a mix of swine, bird and human viruses.

The strain is call H1N1.

ODH’s SWINE FLU INFO HOTLINE
The Ohio Department of Health established a toll-free information line for Ohioans with questions about swine flu.

The information line at 866-800-1404 is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

ODH will reassess hours of operation as the situation warrants.

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WARNING SIGNS
If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
- Bluish skin color
- Not drinking enough fluids
- Not waking up or not interacting
- Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
- Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
- Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
- Sudden dizziness
- Confusion
- Severe or persistent vomiting

SWINE FLU SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of this swine flu virus closely resemble seasonal flu and include high fever, weakness, coughing and lack of appetite.

Some people with swine flu also report runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

SWINE FLU VACCINE
Because this combination of strains of the influenza virus is new, Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and local health departments remind Ohioans of the precautions they should take to avoid exposure.

As with all newly emerging flu strains, no vaccine has developed.

WHAT IS SWINE FLU?
Swine influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs.

Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs.

Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans.

The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

IS IT CONTAGIOUS?
Centers For Disease Control And Prevention has determined the virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. It is not known, however, how easily the virus spreads between people.

This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus.

People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

CAN PEOPLE CATCH SWINE FLU FROM EATING PORK?
No, according to Centers For Disease Control And Prevention. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food.

You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe.

Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

HEALTH, SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
“What I want the public to know and understand is that we must practice safe precautions,“ ODH’s Jackson said.

- Stay informed.

- Cover your cough by using the sleeve of your garment. You also may cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.

- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

- Try to avoid close contact with people who are sick.

- Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing.

- If you become sick, it’s recommended you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others.

LORAIN COUNTY CASE
An elementary school was closed Monday as health officials worked to contain the spread of swine flu, which sickened a 9-year-old student who has the same strain suspected in a deadly outbreak in Mexico.

The third-grader had recently visited several Mexican cities while on vacation with his family, state health officials said Sunday.

Doctor’s offices and hospitals in Elyria were being urged Monday to isolate patients who have flu-like symptoms, said Clifton Barnes, a spokesman for the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency.

School officials closed Ely Elementary School for the week at the advice of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said district spokeswoman Amy Higgins. Parents of its 350 students were called and notified Sunday.

As an added precaution, a cleaning crew went inside the school Sunday night to sanitize doorknobs, desktops and telephones, Higgins said.

The child in Elyria displayed typical seasonal flu symptoms, including a sore throat and body aches, state health officials.

His family members were not presenting any flu-like symptoms, Barnes said Monday.

The boy, who returned from Mexico within the past two weeks, started feeling sick Wednesday, health officials said. He was treated for flu symptoms at a city health clinic, where an astute nurse practitioner began asking questions and realized he might have swine flu.

The student’s contact with classmates last week didn’t go beyond normal school activities, Higgins said.

PROTECTING THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
The acting head of the Centers for Disease Control Richard Besser said the U.S. government is being “extremely aggressive” in the steps it has taken, or is considering, to protect the American public.

He said he didn’t think he would personally recommend traveling to parts of Mexico where the new virus has taken hold but noted that no decision has been made on a possible travel ban.

Besser said he was not reassured by the fact that so far in the U.S., no one has died from the disease.

The government is confirming 40 cases of the new swine flu in the U.S., with the 20 additional ones coming from a New York City school where students spent spring break in Mexico.

WHO says none of the cases in the U.S. have been fatal.

Roughly 12 million doses of Tamiflu being moved from federal stockpile to be delivered to states.

Travelers at border asked about travel to flu-stricken areas.

REAL-TIME INFECTION MAP

View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map

The Associated Press contributed information to this story.

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