Local health officials are readying themselves with vaccines and
money to prevent a widespread outbreak of swine flu. Even residents
and health officials are not as concerned about the virus as when
it first hit the U.S. last spring.
Local health officials are readying themselves with vaccines and money to prevent a widespread outbreak of swine flu. Even residents and health officials are not as concerned about the virus as when it first hit the U.S. last spring.
County officials say there’s been a possible rise in local swine flu cases recently, leading Santa Clara County Supervisors to declare a local emergency Sept. 29. Joy Alexiou, a county Public Health Department spokeswoman, said the declaration will help keep people aware that the threat of swine flu continues, and help the county mobilize staff, vehicles and facilities for vaccination efforts. Supervisors also set aside $500,000 for swine flu emergency response actions.
Evidence for the rising caseload included more people complaining of flu-like symptoms at emergency rooms, and increased absenteeism at schools, Alexiou said. In addition, flu rates typically drop off over the summer, but this past summer “we saw enough cases to look like a regular flu season,” she said.
The first shipments of 350,000 doses of nasal spray version of a swine flu vaccine are expected to arrive next week at certain clinics, hospitals and other health care providers throughout California, said Ralph Montano, state Department of Public Health spokesman. Some 200,000 doses of an injectable vaccine should be available the week after that, he said. Alexiou did not know how many vaccines would be directed to Santa Clara County, or when they’d arrive.
Altogether, the state wants 22.5 million doses. But, as the vaccines will come in waves, not everyone may be able to get one right away.
Federal health officials recommended people with a high risk of catching the potentially deadly virus, passing it on to infants or suffering complications from it, are top priority. These groups include pregnant women, emergency medical personnel and children between the ages of 5 and 18 who have chronic medical conditions.
The agency distributing the vaccine, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said it doesn’t expect a vaccine shortage. But “availability and demand can be unpredictable,” according to its Web site.
Either way, not everyone in Gilroy cares if they get vaccine.
“I never even thought about it,” said Scott Kawano, manager of Gilroy Bowl on Monterey Street. He said he hasn’t seen too many people get sick from the virus, and the hysteria was overblown.
“I think a lot of it was fed by the media,” he said.
Up the street, Randy Swartz, an owner of Clocks & Collectibles, said he hasn’t received a traditional flu vaccine in at least a decade. The last time he did, he fell ill and spent three days in bed, he said.
“If I get it, I get it,” he said.
The virus, first found in Americans in April, caused global scares and prompted some people to wear surgical masks in public or minimize physical contact. Despite preparations now being made for vaccinations, some local officials are not as concerned as many others were earlier this year.
Gilroy Unified School District’s Head Nurse Eileen Bontempi recently said attitudes have changed drastically since the spring, when many schools nationwide were shut down.
“It’s not the scary virus everyone thought it was,” she said.
Formally known as the H1N1 virus, swine flu is believed to spread like the traditional seasonal flu – through coughing, sneezing and touching – and has similar symptoms.
Despite its name, the virus has not been detected in pigs in the U.S. The illness has two genes from flu viruses normally found in pigs in Europe and Asia, and it also has bird and human genes, according to the CDC.
The virus has been blamed for 167 reported deaths statewide between April 3 and Sept. 15, with eight deaths occurring in Santa Clara County.
In Gilroy, a sixth grade student at Ascencion Solorsano Middle School was recently hospitalized with severe swine flu–like symptoms. Although her case was not confirmed as swine flu, the school district “was going on the assumption that it’s H1N1,” Bontempi said.
An outbreak of the flu and common cold among students caused the closure of a central Florida high school Thursday and Friday when 100 of the 252 students were sick and missed classes Monday and Tuesday, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
Protective measures are being taken locally as well. About two weeks ago, the Diocese of San Jose asked its 53 parishes and missions throughout Santa Clara County, to minimize physical contact.
Practices quashed include same-cup communion, hand-holding during the “Our Father” prayer, and the hugging, kissing or other signs of affection churchgoers typically show each other during the Sign of Peace.
Monsignor Francis Cilia of the San Jose Diocese said the restrictions were made at the request of the county Public Health Department, and they’ll be lifted when the county says it’s OK to do so. He described the Diocese’s cooperation as doing its part “to keep people healthy,” but individuals should be careful at all times to ensure the virus doesn’t spread.
“In terms of other things, people have use their own common sense,” he said.
