Nasty flu season requires vigilance by everyone

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published October 18, 2009

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A flu season that promises to be a challenging one for the public and health officials has arrived in South Sound.

People throughout the community, including family members, friends and co-workers, are sick with flu symptoms, including a fever, cough and sore throat. It’s highly likely that many of those stricken are sick with the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, which public health officials know is circulating in our community.

“Typically, the influenza season is January through March,” noted Sherri McDonald, director of the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department. “This year, the flu season is much earlier.”

Late last week and earlier this week a large number of children in the Tenino, Rochester and Yelm school districts, plus The Evergreen State College were reported ill with influenza symptoms.

The Thurston County Public Health Department also has reports of three adults hospitalized and receiving treatment for flu symptoms.

“We expect these waves of illness to continue over the next few months,” McDonald said.

In a typical year, perhaps 10 percent of the population is stricken with flu. With the addition of H1N1, that number could jump to 30 percent to 40 percent, public health officials predict.

Health officials urge everyone to get inoculated for the seasonal flu as soon as possible. It is available at medical offices, pharmacies and community clinics throughout South Sound.

However, access to the swine flu vaccine is another story.

In the past week, Thurston County received a shipment of 2,400 doses of a nasal vaccine for use on individuals 2 to 49 years old. Children and health practitioners are the first groups targeted for inoculation.

“We want to get it into the kids as quickly as possible,” McDonald said.

One potential obstacle is public fears that the vaccine hasn’t been tested enough to ensure its safety. A recent national poll by the Associated Press revealed that 38 percent of parents said they were unlikely to give permission for their kids to be vaccinated at school.

This despite assurance from public health officials that health risks from the vaccine pale in comparison to health risks children face if they fall ill to the H1N1 virus.

“If a child dies from the flu, everyone will want the vaccine,” McDonald said.

It’s not clear how many doses of vaccine will be distributed by the federal government to Thurston County. The next shipment isn’t expected for a few weeks. It will be an injectable vaccine for use on high-risk populations, including pregnant women, persons 6 months to 24 years old, people who care for infants, health care and emergency workers and people 25 to 64 years old who have chronic health problems or compromised immune systems.

Additional vaccine shipments will arrive in South Sound over the late fall and winter. Health officials have their fingers crossed everyone who wants the vaccine will have access to it within three months.

But there is a possibility that demand will outstrip supply, which increases the importance of good personal hygiene to reduce the spread of the new virus. Examples of ways to stop the spread of the virus include:

• Wash your hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds, using soap, warm water and paper towels.

• Disinfect common surfaces such as copiers and doorknobs daily.

• Stay home from work, child care, school or public gatherings when you are sick with a fever and cough.

• Stay away from people who are sick, and don’t share snacks, food, drinks and cigarettes with others.

One consolation: Most people who contract the seasonal flu or swine flu – they symptoms and treatments are the same – recover within a few days to a week.

It’s unlikely that the flu outbreak will overwhelm the community’s hospital system, but emergency plans are in place for temporary treatment centers and extra medical help, if it happens.

“What would overwhelm the medical community is if we run out of intensive care beds and respirators,” McDonald said.

To avoid a severe outbreak of the flu we all have a responsibility to take advantage of flu vaccines and practice rigorous personal hygiene. Together, we can pull through what is likely to be a very nasty flu season.