Modesto Bee Article
By Ken Carlson, Modesto Bee Staff Writer
last updated: April 28, 2009
Modesto Bee - JOAN BARNETT LEE / jlee@modbee.com A sign is pictured just outside the emergency room at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto on Monday afternoon (04-27-09) that directs people to pick up a phone if they have recently traveled to Mexico and have flu like symptoms.
As the number of swine flu cases grew in California on Monday, facilities from hospitals to schools were on alert in Stanislaus County, health officials said.
Monday night, the number of confirmed cases in California stood at 13, including three seventh-graders at a private school in Fair Oaks, St. Mel's. The school is closed until at least Thursday. The students' symptoms are mild.
State health officials said two other individuals in San Diego County probably are sick from the swine flu, a novel virus, in a spreading health emergency expected to continue for weeks. Besides the Sacramento-area students, the other confirmed cases were five in San Diego County and five in Imperial County. There are no cases in Stanislaus County.
Dr. John Walker, public health officer, said Stanislaus County is in a state of enhanced surveillance, which he compared to the federal Department of Homeland Security's "orange" alert or second-highest state of readiness.
"We are taking it very seriously," he said. "... We want the public to be aware we are watching it closely."
The county health department has sent information to and held conference calls with hospitals, ambulance companies and other first responders to screen for people who could have the swine flu virus.
Request for schools, clinics
Walker asked schools, public health clinics and private physicians, as well as health clinics that serve migrant workers, to report suspected cases to the county health department.
The signs of swine flu are identical to those of common influenza: fever, cough, sore throat, severe body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, with possible vomiting and diarrhea.
While swine flu often results in mild illness, 149 people are believed to have died in outbreaks in Mexico (including some young adults who previously were healthy) and an estimated 1,400 cases have occurred there since April 13.
Swine flu is considered dangerous because the influenza strains are unusual and people may not have immunity to the virus, Walker said. Infection can lead to life- threatening pneumonia or respiratory failure or worsen underlying health conditions.
The flu vaccines distributed in the United States this year were not designed to protect against swine flu.
The 50 cases in the United States, as of Monday night, have been milder than those in Mexico. No deaths have occurred. The two people hospitalized in Southern California had chronic medical conditions before they were stricken, officials said.
Schools contact parents
Modesto City Schools sent phone messages to parents Monday afternoon and posted a swine flu alert on its Web site. Parents were advised there are no cases, all schools are open and no activities are canceled.
The district advised parents to call their doctor if a child has flu symptoms and report the symptoms to the school, said Jim Pfaff, the district's director of state and federal programs.
Parents should have their children take precautions such as hand washing and covering their mouth and nose when coughing.
Pfaff said school nurses won't try to diagnose the illness; county public health will follow up on any possible swine flu cases.
Doctors Medical Center of Modesto on Monday posted signs at its emergency department asking patients to inform staff if they have flu symptoms and recently traveled to Mexico. Hospital spokeswoman Carin Sarkis said those patients will be placed in an isolated area for testing to minimize the risk of exposing others.
Hospital workers are trained to wear masks and take other precautions when treating those patients, she said.
"Swine flu is the kind of thing the hospital and other agencies in the community have been preparing for for years," Sarkis said. The hospital has bed capacity and the ability to use other facilities if an extensive outbreak occurs, she said.
State ready to help
As of today, the state can do its own testing for swine flu. Local specimens can be sent to the county public health lab, packaged and then sent to the state lab in Richmond, which is equipped to run tests in a couple of hours. Specimens from California had been shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Stanislaus officials said the emergency response and health systems are prepared, thanks to plans, exercises and equipment purchases made in recent years to prepare for a flu pandemic or terrorist attack.
Although the swine flu is believed to have spread through person-to-person contact, the Department of Food and Agriculture was ordering state veterinarians to conduct surveillance at hog farms. The illness is a threat to that industry; pork is not a major commodity in Stanislaus County.
Walker added that people don't get the flu from eating pork or pork products.
Ample supply of drugs
Bonnie Sorenson, chief deputy director of the state Department of Public Health, said Monday the federal government, the state and the marketplace is well-stocked with antiviral prescription medications, Tamiflu and Relenza, that relieve flu symptoms and make the illness less contagious if taken early.
County health departments wanting to bolster their supplies can request the medications from the state, she said.
Walker said people who come down with flu symptoms should stay home from work or school, even if they feel better after taking medicine. Swine flu, with a one- or two-day incubation, can be hard to control because people can give it to others before they feel sick.
Bee staff writer Ken Carlson can be reached at
kcarlson@modbee.com or 578-2321.
