By T.M. Schultz
Contributing Reporter
PRESCOTT - With the number of cases of the new H1N1 swine flu virus still rising, it's only a matter of time before Yavapai County confirms its first case, said Robert Resendes, director of Yavapai County Community Health Services.
He said Wednesday the county has dozens of cases waiting for state testing, and he expects many of them to be positive for the new virus.
On Tuesday, the state received the screening kits it needs to conduct its own tests for the new virus instead of having to send them on to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And on Wednesday, the state began conducting those tests for the first time, Resendes said.
As of Wednesday, Arizona had 49 confirmed cases, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Nationwide, the CDC reported 642 confirmed cases in 41 states. Two people have died.
The first to die was a Mexico City toddler who had been visiting relatives in Brownsville, Texas.
On Tuesday, in a city not far from Brownsville, a 33-year-old Harlingen, Texas, special education teacher was the second death.
Judy Trunnell, 33, was pregnant and had been hospitalized for more than two weeks when she died. During that time, she slipped into a coma and gave birth to a healthy baby girl, according to the Associated Press.
Still at issue locally is whether to close a school if a student or faculty member comes down with the new virus.
On Tuesday, the Yavapai County Community Health Services board met to discuss the matter and decided unanimously that closing a school should be a local decision.
"The case will come and, if we close the schools, we'll be heroes to some and villains to (the rest)," Resendes said.
The board agreed that Resendes, as head of the local county health department, would have the ultimate decision-making power to close schools, with guidance from local school districts and the CDC.
Resendes said that although Maricopa County and the CDC are recommending schools stay open if the new virus is confirmed in a student or faculty member, local schools have told him they would rather err on the side of caution.
The new flu strain has been relatively mild and has the same symptoms as seasonal influenza: sudden onset of high fever, runny nose, body aches and exhaustion. Some people have nausea and diarrhea.
The main recommendation from health officials at every level is to wash your hands frequently and stay home if you get any kind of flu.
Board members agreed that the last couple of weeks have been good practice in the event of a future health emergency.
The county activated its incident command center Friday and members have been meeting every day to keep on top of the situation.
In addition, the federal government delivered a truckload of anti-viral drugs, masks and gowns. Local health officials have distributed 4,000 doses of the anti-virals to the hospital, community health centers and the jail, Resendes said. However, the medicine expires in December, so officials can't use it for very long, he added.
"I don't think we could have had a better dry run," said Dr. William Thrift, a primary care doctor.
Still, he and Resendes cautioned that no one knows what the future holds.
"I don't think we can get cocky," Thrift said. "There is a possibility we could see something really nasty coming out of this."
|
