Friday, September 18, 2009 (This is an archived file, this is not recent news)

A case of swine flu was confirmed in Halifax County Thursday, the health department said today. County Health Director Lynda Smith there was no reason for alarm. “We don’t have a pandemic,” she said. Sharon Arquilla, TB program coordinator and H1N1 clinical liaison for the health department said in an email to The Spin, “Whether or not we have ‘confirmed’ cases in Halifax county is really not so much the issue. “I say this because we fully expect to have H1N1 activity in our county, and have had some suspect and probable activity during the summer. Also the confirmation of those cases will be public info on the sites you may already be monitoring.” Arquilla said for the most part, laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 will not represent the number of actual cases, as the state recommended testing protocol recommends testing in very limited situations, such as a hospitalized patient. This is because of the number of cases throughout the country and the world for that matter. “Once it was determined that there was sustained human-to-human transmission back in the spring, testing became less of an issue and more of a logistical problem — too many tests and the widespread nature of the illness.” The presumption became that a person with "influenza like illness" — sudden onset of fever, cough, sore throat during the time of year which was not "seasonal flu" season, would be "clinically" diagnosed with having "probable" H1N1 flu. “This is satisfactory and is the guidance from the CDC, as the treatment is the same for both H1N1 and regular seasonal flu,” she said. “Which is actually very little medical treatment unless there are complications, as influenza is viral and thus has no cure but the body heals itself.” Arquilla said people who become ill with these symptoms need to stay at home, drink plenty of fluids, rest, and may take a product such a Tylenol for fever if they normally take such a medication. Children should never be given aspirin for fever. People should monitor sick children for trouble breathing or looking blue or gray, refusing all fluids, or not urinating as normal. Monitor for changes in activity also, sick children may be quieter than normal, but seek help if a child is lethargic or highly irritable. If the child has a known medical condition that puts them at high risk for complications, contact the child's doctor for further guidance or seek emergency help as needed. Basically the same advice for adults. There is no special recommendations for contacts to sick people, and normal hygiene measures such as good hand washing and use of hand sanitizers, covering cough with tissues and keeping personal objects clean and not sharing such items. “Just all the good old fashioned advice we always give to prevent the transmission of any illness such as seasonal flu. Contacts should monitor themselves closely for the development of symptoms and self isolate in the home as well. “Anti-viral medications are not being recommended for contacts unless they are at high risk for complications, but people should consult their own physicians for exact recommendations, and those with significant underlying medical conditions would have a provider with whom they are familiar.” It is also recommended that children stay home from school and adults away from their work place until at least 24 hours after fever is gone without the use of fever reducing medication. Arquilla said she has personally spoken with many local school officials and nurses and is confident in their level of preparedness and vigilance for influenza-like illness in local schools both public and private.