Welcome to Skagit County

May 4th, 2009

H1N1 FLU UPDATE

The swine flu picture continues to change rapidly. There are 35 probable cases in the State of Washington, with 1 probable case from Skagit County. There are a total of 11 samples that have been sent to the State lab for testing from Skagit, 4 of which have tested negative. One of the samples is from a person who had pneumonia and died. “It is unknown if this person died from H1N1 flu. We are following CDC guidelines to test in this situation,” said Peter Browning, Director of Skagit County Public Health.

A call center has been set up at Skagit 911 to answer questions. The number is 360-428-3272. The Center will be open through Wednesday, when it will be determined whether or not it needs to stay open.

Skagit County’s medical providers have reported they are being swamped with worried patients. We recommend that people seek medical treatment only if they have any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing, chest pain, purple or blue lips, vomiting or can’t keep any fluids down, signs of dehydration, seizures, confusion or decreased responsiveness. If you don’t have any of these complications, stay at home with your germs and take care of yourself.

It is no longer recommended that schools close when they have a probable case of H1N1 flu. If a student becomes ill with fever or coughing, they should report to the school nurse. The student will be supplied with a mask and sent home. Skagit County Public Health is supplying schools with masks.

Supplies will be arriving from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) this week. This shipment will include anti-viral medications and masks. “Skagit County Public Health will

oversee the distribution of these supplies per CDC guidelines. We are coordinating with hospital pharmacies to do so. ” said Browning.

“Our message continues to be; stay at home if you are ill, cover your sneezes and coughs, throw the tissue away, and wash your hands frequently. Of the 900 confirmed cases nationwide, only 30 have been hospitalized. We are fortunate that this is shaping up to be less severe than we first thought. ” Browning added.

Now that H1N1 flu is found in several areas of the United States and the world, people can expect to be exposed to it somewhere, sometime. The only difference between seasonal flu and H1N1 flu is that H1N1 is a new virus and there is currently no vaccine for it. That means that humans do not have immunity to it so it’s likely to spread world-wide.