rap #148 07/29/09
IF H1N1 FLU STRIKES, OCEAN COUNTY IS READY
OCEAN COUNTY is ready if H1N1 flu spikes this fall and winter.
“We are prepared, we are knowledgeable and we are ready,” said Ocean County Freeholder Deputy Director Gerry P.
Little.
Many medical experts are expecting a nationwide increase in the spread of the virus once the colder weather hits
and people are confined indoors.
“Seasonal flu usually worsens in the fall and winter and we expect the same reaction with this new virus,” said
Little, who is liaison to the Ocean County Health Department.
Daniel Regenye, assistant public health coordinator for the Health Department and Leslie Terjesen, the
department’s public information officer, on Wednesday briefed the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders about plans
already in place to combat the flu.
County health officials have held regular meetings with state officials, local school leaders and doctors from
the county’s hospitals and health clinics to formulate plans to both track and control the H1N1 virus.
“We’ve been meeting weekly with school officials,” Regenye said. “If the number of flu cases grows, one of the
first places we’re likely to see it is in the schools.”
On the first day of school in September, children will be given an H1N1 fact sheet to take home. The sheet will
instruct parents on the symptoms of the flu, when to keep a child home and how to notify the school of the possible
illness.
“We’re also meeting with every school nurse so we will have a uniform plan in place across the county,” Terjesen
said.
The Health Department is also awaiting word from the federal government on when the county can expect its first
shipment of H1N1 vaccine.
“We still don’t know if we will be responsible to setup and run the flu clinics,” Terjesen said.
To ensure that the department is ready for H1N1 clinics, seasonal flu vaccines will begin much earlier than usual
this fall.
“Our first seasonal flu clinic is October 5,” she said. “”We’ll also be doing more regional clinics so we can
distribute the season vaccine quicker.”
Once the H1N1 vaccine arrives, children, teachers, day care workers, pregnant women, healthcare workers and
adults with underlying conditions will be the first to receive the vaccine, which will likely be given in two doses
about a month apart.
Little said he is confident the Health Department is well prepared to deal with H1N1.
“We already have in place the largest network of seasonal flu clinics in the state,” he said. “I want to assure
our residents that if H1N1 spreads this winter, were are ready to combat it on every front possible.”
To date, 49 Ocean County residents have been infected with the new flu strain. Two have died, but both had prior
underlying medical conditions.
Little also had some advice on the best way to avoid any type of flu.
“Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands,” he said. “Frequent hand washing or using a liquid hand
sanitizer is the single best way to stop the virus from spreading.”
Other flu safeguards include:
- Covering your nose or mouth when you cough or sneeze. Immediately throw away the tissue, or sneeze in your sleeve, not
into your hand.
- Avoid touching your nose, eyes or mouth.
- Avoid contact with people who are ill.
- If you are sick with flu-like symptoms, stay home from work or school.
- Wipe common household or workplace surfaces with virus-killing disinfectants.
Symptoms of the H1N1 flu include fever of 100 degrees or more, coughing, sore throat, chills, runny or stuffy nose,
fatigue and headache. Some people have also reported vomiting or diarrhea.
