By MATT THACKER
Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com
April 30, 2009 01:41 pm
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About 200,000 units of antiviral medicine have been distributed to county health departments in Indiana, State Health Commissioner Dr. Judy Monroe said Wednesday.
The medicine is a precaution as state and local officials prepare for the worst-case scenario with the swine flu.
“We’re all in this together,” Monroe said. “This is something where we’re facing a new virus that has the potential to form a pandemic.”
The state’s first case of the swine flu was confirmed Monday night in a University of Notre Dame student.
“The good news is this particular student is doing fine and to my understanding is near fully recovered,” Monroe said.
Epidemiologists from the university are now looking at all of the people that student came in contact with, but so far, there have been no other cases reported in Indiana.
Monroe and Joe Wainscott, executive director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, held a press conference in the Clark County Government Building on Wednesday morning in front of local leaders and emergency responders.
As of Wednesday night, there were more than 90 confirmed cases in the United States, and 24 countries also had identified the virus. The virus, which has caused more than 160 deaths in Mexico, has not been as serious in the United States.
“Many of the people that are getting this infection have mild disease, so they feel like it’s regular influenza and they’re overcoming the disease,” Monroe said.
Health officials are now calling the virus — which has bird, pig and human material — North American influenza A. Monroe said swine are not ill. There have been concerns that the pork industry is hurting because people are afraid the meat is contaminated.
So far, doctors have had success because the virus is sensitive to two common antivirals — Tamiflu and Relenza. The problem is that officials do not know how the disease may evolve.
“We are taking it seriously because we know from past pandemics how quickly a virus could begin to spread,” she said. “It depends on how serious the illness is.
“We’ve had pandemics in the past that actually have had no disruption [to society] whatsoever.”
One possibility, Monroe said, is that the flu will fade away for the summer but come back in an even more powerful form in the winter. Federal officials are considering whether to focus resources on creating a vaccine for the swine flu that could be ready by fall.
State officials say participation from schools and employers will be key. Employers are being asked to not pressure anyone who is sick to go to work. The state may take even further measures to contain the virus.
“School closures is one of the ways of stopping the spread of this if necessary,” Monroe said. “Those are things the public may come to expect.”
Wainscott said the Department of Homeland Security opened its state emergency operations center Tuesday. The center — which opens during disasters and emergencies — will be used to assist in planning and collaboration with federal, state and local officials.
Wainscott said concerns about the avian flu have actually helped to prepare them for this flu outbreak.
“We have been planning, training and thinking through some of these scenarios for the last several years,” he said. “Many of the things we need to do are very similar.”
Wainscott also encouraged families to develop a family preparedness kit and plan in order to “have sufficient capability to take care of yourselves in the event that emergency services might be overwhelmed.”
“Being prepared at the home level is just as essential as being prepared at your city, county, state or federal level,” he said.
This week, the state government began sending medication to every county in the state on a per capita basis.
The antiviral medication was only being given to people who were sick, but is now being given out to people who have close contact with anyone who is sick.
All licensed professionals — including physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and veterinarians — are supposed to receive information this week regarding how to deal with the swine flu.
Clark County Health Officer Dr. Kevin Burke said he will be distributing a list of criteria to all physicians to make sure they know how to diagnose the flu.
Anyone with mild flu-like symptoms should stay home and call their physician to let them know of the symptoms. Anyone with more serious symptoms should go to see their physician.
The Center for Disease Control is telling anyone with influenza-like illness to stay home for seven days or, if the illness takes longer, until 24 hours after symptoms stop.
Health officials are recommending people regularly wash their hands, use hand sanitizers and even stop shaking hands. They also say to use a tissue or a sleeve to cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.
Symptoms include a fever of 100 degrees or greater, a headache, sore throat, cough, body ache and fatigue.
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