Local officials prepare for swine flu

In response to increasing concerns regarding swine flu cases in the U.S., local health officials at Unity Health Center said they are well-prepared to combat the virus if it reaches Pottawatomie County but urged good hygiene practices from community members.
“The number one thing is to wash your hands or use alcohol-based rubs, just good overall health hygiene,” said Vicki Milliken, director of infection control at Unity Health Center. “And cough or sneeze into a tissue and throw the tissue away. Then wash your hands again afterward or use a sanitizer.”
Dr. David Hadley, medical director and hospitalist, agreed.
“The big thing is not to panic and to use hand hygiene,” Hadley said.
According to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, swine flu is a “respiratory virus that normally affects only pigs.”
It is caused by Type A Influenza but is unique because it has a combination of gene segments from human, bird and swine viruses, Carla Tollett, Unity Health Center marketing director, said.
“It’s a virus that humans have not really built up any resistance to and also, of course, there’s not a vaccine available for it yet,” Hadley said.
Several human cases have been confirmed, and others are expected throughout the U.S., Mexico and other countries.
As for Oklahoma, no deaths related to the illness have been reported.
The concern for this virus in relation to former influenza scares is due, in part, to the number of reported deaths in Mexico, the type of virus and the time of year the illnesses are occurring.
“The flu season typically ranges from about December to March,” Hadley said. “We’re hoping that since this came so late in the year, it might not be as bad.”
Hadley added that the cause for so many recent deaths related to swine flu is still uncertain.
“They’re not sure why there are so many deaths, for example, in Mexico, but it may be that there is another co-infection involved or maybe another factor,” he said. “Of course, the amount of deaths can’t really be explained with what we’re seeing here in the U.S. But mainly, when we look at this virus or any other influenza virus, it’s going to be the complications of having the disease that causes death — typically in a group, perhaps elderly or the very young, whose resistance might not be as strong. [The deaths] might be likely to getting a secondary infection, pneumonia, for example, due to the virus.”
But whatever the cause, Hadley said the hospital is well-prepared for even a large outbreak within the county and that the hospital staff is not simply waiting and hoping that the virus won’t hit Oklahoma.
“We have a plan in place,” Hadley said. “We have patient rooms set aside, for respiratory isolation, and could have more ready, if needed.”
In addition, Hadley said, the hospital maintains contact with state health officials and ensures plenty of the anti-influenza drug Tamiflu is on-hand and that more is available, if necessary.
“So far, there has been no resistance to Tamiflu from the virus,” Hadley said.
However, the precautions are still important, Milliken said, because this season’s vaccination mix “does not help at all — it’s not the same strain” and infection can occur as quickly as one to four days after exposure.
Symptoms of swine flu are the same as symptoms for other types of influenza and include a fever of more than 100 degrees, shortness of breath, coughing and body aches.
The highest level of concern, Hadley said, is for those who traveled to areas where known cases have been reported and who have flu-like symptoms.
For more information, Unity Health Center has added a link to its Web site at www.unityhealthcenter.com with specific information regarding swine flu.