Getting ready for flu season

Area health officials work on H1N1 plans

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — So far, so good is the assessment by Mahoning County public-health officials of the nation’s and the area’s preparation for a possible swine-flu onslaught this fall.

Swine flu, officially H1N1 Novel flu, has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, in a recent memo, however, said the swine flu is more moderate in this country than the media had led people to believe it would be, said Dr. John Venglarcik, pediatrician and medical director of the Mahoning County District Board of Health.

As of Friday, the CDC reported 43,771 confirmed or probable cases and 302 deaths in the U.S. and its territories caused by the swine flu. The numbers are updated each Friday.

In Ohio, as of Friday, there had been one swine-flu death, a Butler County male in his 40s who died June 29, and 198 confirmed cases.

If forced to predict the severity of the upcoming flu season, Dr. Venglarcik said he thinks it will be “brisk,” but not pandemic level, for several reasons.

First, there is reason to believe the swine-flu virus lacks a key protein needed for “high-level transmission.” Unless the virus evolves and develops the protein, it will not spread as quickly and broadly than it might otherwise, he said.

Also, Dr. Venglarcik said, the U.S. has more time to prepare for the disease, and a “trial run” with relatively few cases late this flu season gave hospitals and doctors experience in handling the disease.

He said that in some ways, the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere are not comparable with regard to the swine flu.

For instance, the Southern Hemisphere, which includes continents such as Australia and Africa and South America, is experiencing the peak of its flu season now, and the peak flu season in the U.S. does not begin until late this year, giving this country more time to develop a vaccine and otherwise prepare, he added.

Also, there is overall less access to care in the Southern Hemisphere than in the U.S., Dr. Venglarcik said.

Here, he said, preparations are well under way.

The first batch of swine-flu vaccine will be tested on humans at 10 sites around the U.S. in August. The study will involve 1,000 volunteer adults and children in 10 centers around the country, according to reports.

The sites, called Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units, will evaluate the safety of the vaccine and measure its ability to stimulate immune responses to the H1N1 virus, officials said.

In Ohio, the state Department of Health is eligible to receive $13.2 million in federal funds for H1N1-seasonal-flu-preparedness efforts, about $160,000 of which will filter down to the Mahoning County Health Department, said Matthew Stefanak, health commissioner.

Stefanak said though specific guidelines for use of the money are still being developed, he believes it will be used to stockpile the vaccine and mount a campaign to deliver it to the people who need it.

Public health’s responsibility is “first do no harm. I think we’ll wait until the last possible moment to make the best decision possible” on how to respond to the swine flu, Stefanak said.

Not everyone will be inoculated at first, said Dr. Venglarcik.

Developing a list of people who need the shot and getting it to them are the keys, he said.

Priority groups for the vaccine are first-responders, such as police, fire and ambulance personnel; health-care personnel, such as doctors, nurses and other hospital employees; nursing-home, day-care and school employees; and people at high risk because of medical conditions, such as pulmonary disease, heart conditions or diabetes, Dr. Venglarcik said.

Hospitals and others are being asked to identify employees and their families who ought to receive the vaccine before the flu season begins, he said.

There should be no shortage of the vaccine because its manufacture is being farmed out to several companies, he said.

Once the vaccine is available, the biggest issues are determining the best ways to widely dispense it and getting it “into the arms” of the people who need it.

“That is the key in any pandemic,” the doctor said.

He said area public-health departments have been networking and sharing ideas on how to dispense the vaccine and plans are in the works to send personnel from Forum Health and St. Elizabeth Health Center to the federal Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Domestic Preparedness for administrative training on how to handle the swine flu.

For the most effective dissemination of the vaccine, it is necessary to get primary-care and family physicians “on board,” Dr. Venglarcik said.

Family doctors are a key factor in mass vaccination, he said.

When a family doctor recommends a vaccine, there is a 92 percent “take rate” among patients. When the family doctor does not recommend a vaccine, there is a 7 percent “take rate,” Dr. Venglarcik added.

alcorn@vindy.com

SWINE FLU | Cases, prevention

Following are the confirmed swine-flu cases in the tri-county area:

Columbiana County: boy, 6.

Mahoning County: Six cases, three females, 22, 41, 62; and three males, 18, 33, 40.

Trumbull County: Two cases, girl, 14; and boy, 10.

People should take these actions to help stay healthy:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers also are effective.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Stay home if you get sick to limit contact with others and the spread of disease.

Sources: Ohio Department of Health/U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention