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Friday, August 28, 2009
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Just in case, the county prepares for flu outbreak
Senior Reporter Planning for a pandemic is engaging in "what if?"
What if the H1N1 influenza virus, also called swine flu, mutates into something more severe and deadly this fall? What would you need to know now to be prepared in a worst-case scenario?
Web resources
For more information, including planning tips, go online:
www.codeready.gov
www.flu.gov
www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
www.co.crow-wing.mn.us - look for the link on the home page.
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That is what Crow Wing County has been doing for months. There are still unknowns - such as when the flu will arrive and how severe it will be. But Joyce Mueller, Crow Wing County Public Health nurse manager, and John Bowen, emergency manager, said preparation is key both on the county level and at home. No cases of the flu have been reported in Crow Wing County to date.
Recommended preparations include having a week supply of essentials at home - food, water, medicine - even pet food. Consider who will be at home should children be sent home from school. Business managers, who could face a potential loss of 40 percent of their work force, may need to consider flexible work hours and cross training of essential services.
"Those are some of the things that people have to start thinking about," Mueller said. "The better prepared people are, the easier it will be to deal with the H1N1 virus if or when it does resurge this fall."
The Centers for Disease Control estimate there have already been 1 million H1N1 cases in the United States. So far the virus has been mild for the most part with common cold and flu symptoms. A person may be ill for three days or as many as seven to 10 days. But the virus may be more severe for people with other medical conditions, such as asthma, or for pregnant women. To date, the CDC reports the virus has been most contagious among the age range of 6 months to 24 years.
Mueller said those 64 and older appear to have a level of immunity as the flu hasn't been severe in that age group.
For workers and employers, Mueller and Bowen said the message is to stay home when sick until 24 hours have passed without a fever.
"We know there will be vaccine coming," Bowen said. How effective it will be depends on whether the current virus changes, creating a need for a second vaccine. Mueller said there is no way to predict now whether the virus will stay the same or mutate to be more severe this fall or winter.
County preparations include consideration of a flu center, vaccination clinics, public information sessions and potential use of social media such as Twitter, as well as news outlets and the county's Web site. The county has an emergency operations plan and a pandemic flu plan in place.
Meetings to go over scenarios and consider what could be needed have included 20 to 30 people representing a variety of emergency services and law enforcement, hospitals, clinics, businesses and area schools.
"So be alert and be aware is our message," Mueller said. "We want the community to feel comfortable with our preparedness efforts and we want them to do as much as they can for themselves to prepare for a possible outbreak."
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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