As fears of a potential swine flu pandemic traveled from media outlets to water-coolers all across the country, Santa Barbara County health officials took measures to get the word out about the outbreak.
According to Michele Mickiewicz, spokeswoman for the county’s Public Health Department, all the talk isn’t just hype.
“This is something that the public health community is very concerned with, and the reason is because it’s very widespread,” Mickiewicz said. “We don’t really know at this point in the outbreak how severe the infections are.”
While it’s too early to tell whether we’re in the midst of a global flu epidemic, Mickiewicz said, residents should take the usual preventative measures.
“What people really need to be doing is what they should do during any normal flu season,” Mickiewicz said. “Stay away from people who are sick, and if you’re sick yourself, stay home.”
According to Mickiewicz, it’s unknown how easily the swine flu virus (H1N1) passes from person to person. Since it’s possible that swine flu can be transmitted via touch, the agency recommends coughing into a tissue and disposing of it properly. Other precautions include washing hands thoroughly and frequently, using alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and keeping hands away from eyes, noses, and mouths.
The department also recommends that recent travelers to any of the areas affected by swine flu who are exhibiting symptoms should see a doctor and get tested for the virus,
According to the national Centers for Disease Control, swine flu is an airborne virus, which passes from pigs to humans, with symptoms that are identical to seasonal flu, including respiratory problems, vomiting, fever, chills, and diarrhea.
So far, cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Mexico, New York, Texas, Ohio, and parts of California, including the San Diego area. As of press time, there had been 50 confirmed cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control, with 13 of those occurring in the state. There have been no reported cases of swine flu in Santa Barbara County—or in neighboring Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties—according to the county’s Department of Public Health.
According to the CDC, the virus is susceptible to prescription flu medications Tamiflu and Relenza. The county’s Health Department said the antiviral medications might lessen the symptoms of swine flu and speed up recovery, but warned there’s no vaccine yet and regular flu shots won’t affect the virus.
For daily updated information on the outbreak, the agency has set up an English and Spanish hotline at 1-888-722-6358. Information is also available on the agency’s website at sbcphd.org.
While much is still unknown about the scope of the outbreak, Mickiewicz said the public health system is mobilizing quickly to determine the risks of swine flu and inform people about what they need to do to avoid getting it.
“We still don’t know all the answers that are going to help us,” she said. “But each day they’re continuing to work on getting more information that can help us answer these questions.”
This article appears in Apr 30 – May 7, 2009.
