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Public Health Announcement
Seasonal and Novel Influenza A (H1N1) viruses:Now that the traditional flu season has begun, both H1N1 and seasonal flu strains are circulating in North Carolina. Flu attacks a person’s nose, throat, and lungs. Influenza usually comes on suddenly and may include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and/or body aches. Most people who get flu recover in a week or two, but some people develop life-threatening complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of flu. Every year, between 1,000 and 2,000 people die of seasonal influenza and pneumonia in North Carolina. It is still early in the 2009 H1N1 outbreak; most people who have been ill have recovered or are recovering. Although H1N1 so far has been compared to regular seasonal flu, some people have become severely ill and there have been some deaths.
Severity of flu related illness: Although most people who contract the virus will not become seriously ill, both seasonal and H1N1 flu can cause serious illness in persons with underlying medical conditions, such as chronic pulmonary disease (including asthma), cardiovascular disease (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, cognitive, neurologic/neuromuscular, hematologic, or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus) or immune-suppression (including immune-suppression caused by medications or by human immune-deficiency virus).
The severity of the illness to susceptible groups is the reason that the NC State Department of Public Health has required the health department to provide H1N1 flu vaccine first to the following priority groups:
- Pregnant women.
- Household contacts of infants under 6 months.
- Healthcare and emergency medical services workers.
- Young people between 6 months and 24 years of age (H1N1 has been most contagious among children and young adult’s age six months to 24 years old).
- Nonelderly adults with underlying risk conditions, such as diabetes and chronic lung disease.
Duration of Illness: The CDC recommends that people with influenza-like illness remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100° F [37.8°C]), or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. This is a change from the previous recommendation that ill persons stay home for 7 days after illness onset or until 24 hours after the resolution of symptoms, whichever was longer. The new recommendation applies to camps, schools, businesses, mass gatherings, and other community settings where the majority of people are not at increased risk for influenza complications. This guidance does not apply to health care settings where the exclusion period should be continued for 7 days from symptom onset or until the resolution of symptoms, whichever is longer.
Disease Spread: The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that influenza is spread primarily by person to person contact through coughing or sneezing of infected people. The flu virus can spread rapidly in the work place and through the community unless people take simple precautions to prevent the spread of the disease. The CDC recommends that we all:
- Get a seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccination.
- Ensure that family members in the high priority groups identified above are also vaccinated.
- Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough and place the tissue in an appropriate container when you are through using it.
- Frequently wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand wash.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth to help reduce the likelihood of disease spread.
- Stay home if you are sick.
Vaccine Supply: Although there is presently a shortage of H1N1 vaccine, we don’t expect this shortage to be long-term. People may get a flu vaccination at the health department (by appointment). Private physicians and pharmacies are also offering vaccine to patients and customers. All area hospitals will have supplies for their employees. The health department expects to continue to receive H1N1 vaccine. H1N1 vaccine is available in nasal spray and injectable multidose vials. Through October 29th the health department has provided 476 (166 Mist; 310 injectables) doses of H1N1 vaccine.
Sources of Information: For more flu related information go to the following web sites:
Dr. Jack Griffith
Health Director
Pender County Health Department
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