Don't panic about swine flu, official says

Even though the first confirmed case of swine flu in Oklahoma comes from one of Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties’ neighbors to the south, a health department official said Tuesday there is no need to panic and that no cases have been reported in the Tri-County area.
Tina Johnson, administrative director for the health departments in Pottawatomie, Seminole, Hughes and Okfuskee Counties, said Tuesday afternoon that while Oklahoma has one confirmed case of swine flu in Pontotoc County, none of the counties she works with have had a case confirmed or reported. She said, at least at this point, there’s no reason to panic.
“We need to continue on with our normal, daily activities,” Johnson said. “Wash your hands, cover your coughs and sneezes and if you’re sick, stay home.
But as for wearing masks and covering up in public, people don’t need to do that.”
At least not yet.
Leslea Bennett-Webb, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Department of Health, said Tuesday evening that four other cases are in fact pending in the state but expects it to be closer to the weekend before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can confirm those samples as swine flu. She said the wait time seems to run a little longer than the 24 to 48 hours the CDC promises.
“The CDC says 48 hours but it took closer to four days to confirm the first one,” Bennett-Webb said Tuesday.
Bennett-Webb wouldn’t say where the other pending cases originated from, although Deer Creek Public Schools in Oklahoma County posted a notice on its Web site Tuesday informing the public that a sample from one of its students had been sent to the CDC in Atlanta for confirmation. The school district near Edmond, which remained opened at the urging of the OSDH, also canceled an awards banquet scheduled for Tuesday evening to remain cautious.
The location of the other two cases remains unknown and Johnson said the OSDH typically doesn’t release information about specific parties affected to protect privacy.
“In a smaller community, if you start giving out a lot of information, it’s not hard to figure out what’s going on,” she said.
In the meantime, Johnson said local health officials and hospitals are prepared and have been making plans for some time now.
“We’re being cautious and we are prepared,” she said. “There’s no need to panic.”
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Andrew Knittle may be reached at 214-3926.