Published: May 14, 2009 01:42 pm      

Indiana health boss cautious about ‘tough’ flu season

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana might face a “really tough flu season” later this year from a new outbreak of swine influenza or another flu strain, state Health Commissioner Judy Monroe told her agency’s executive board Wednesday.

The Indiana State Department of Health will ask counties to hold town hall-style meetings to urge parents and employers to make plans now for a widespread flu outbreak or other health emergency that might keep children home from schools and workers away from their jobs, Monroe said.

Monroe said the current outbreak with 70 confirmed Indiana cases in 10 central and northern counties has served as a “dress rehearsal” for public and private response for a more dire health emergency. All of the Indiana cases have been mild.

“It was a little bit of a wake-up call for those who have been more complacent” in preparing for events that might limit people’s ability to go to work or school, Monroe told the board during its first regular meeting since the worldwide swine flu outbreak last month.

“We could be in for a really tough flu season this winter and fall,” she warned, sounding a cautionary note and explaining that viruses spread more easily during the winter because of less humid conditions and people spending more time indoors.