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June 27, 2009

Swine flu not gone, not forgotten

By Cristin Ross

cross@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Just because it’s not making headlines at the moment, doesn’t mean the dangers of contracting swine flu has diminished.

Cherokee County Health Department officials have reported one confirmed case of swine flu, or novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, and one probable case in Cherokee County residents.

“An 82-year-old was admitted to a Tyler hospital on June 4 and discharged June 5, recovered from the mild case of flu,” Health Department Director Judy Beck said. “There is another case under investigation at this time. t

“Though the H1N1 flu seems to have subsided, the CCHD and the atate health department will continue with monitoring activities through the summer and into the fall flu season. It’s still out there and we want to stay on top of the game.”

The National Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported on June 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the virus, indicating a global pandemic is underway.

“More than 70 countries are now reporting cases of human infection with novel H1N1 flu,” CDC’s Web site states. “This number has been increasing over the past few weeks, but many of the cases reportedly had links to travel or were localized outbreaks without community spread. The WHO designation of a pandemic alert Phase 6 reflects the fact that there are now ongoing community level outbreaks in multiple parts of world.”

WHO officials remind the public the Phase 6 alert level reflects the spread of the virus, not the severity of illness caused by the virus.

“It’s uncertain at this time how serious or severe this novel H1N1 pandemic will be in terms of how many people infected will develop serious complications or die from novel H1N1 infection,” the CDC Web site explains. “Experience with this virus so far is limited and influenza is unpredictable. However, because novel H1N1 is a new virus, many people may have little or no immunity against it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In addition, currently there is no vaccine to protect against novel H1N1 virus.”

In the U.S., most people who have contracted the virus have recovered without requiring medical treatment. The CDC anticipates more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with the pandemic through the summer and into the fall and winter influenza season.

“It’s still making people sick now, and as we get into the regular flu season, it could pose even more danger for people,” Beck said.

Novel H1N1 (referred to as “swine flu” early on) was first detected in people in the U.S. in April. Medical professionals suspect the virus is spreading from person-to-person the same way influenza viruses spread. An updated case count of confirmed novel H1N1 flu infections in the United States is kept at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm. CDC and local and state health agencies are working together to investigate this situation.

As of June 19, there have been 21,449 cases and 87 deaths reported in the U.S. and its two territories — Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The Department of State Health Services is reporting 2,982 cases of H1N1 flu in Texas, leading to 10 deaths.

While work on a vaccine is ongoing, a working product is still months away, according to the CDC.

“CDC has isolated the new H1N1 virus, made a candidate vaccine virus that can be used to create vaccine, and has provided this virus to industry so they can begin scaling up for production of a vaccine, if necessary,” the CDC Web site states. “Making vaccine is a long multi-step process requiring several months to complete.”

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