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MEXICO CITY
SHUT DOWN
98% of the
Influenza A cases tested this winter
were found to be resistant to Tamiflu. Majority of the Strategic National
Stockpile is made up of Tamiflu.
12 million
doses of anti-virals are being moved from the SNS to places for states to
access easily if needed
Good
News: Swine Flu is not resistant to Tamiflu!
MRC ORIENTATION
April 30th
6:30-7:30pm
Dime Bank, 290 Salem
Turnpike, Norwich
448-4882 EXT
313 FOR INFORMATION
SWINE
FLU 1976
A young Army recruit in 1976 died from Swine Flu which set off a fear of
an epidemic. Tests showed that 500
Army recruits had caught the Swine Flu
without becoming ill. 40
millionAmericans were innoculated against the Swine Flu but unfortunately,
some died or developed complications such as Guillian-Barre (paralyzing
disease)
Sue Starkey MS,
RD
860-448-4882
ext 311
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Public Health Emergency
Declared
I am sure you all have been
watching the unfolding Swine Flu outbreak with great concern. Is this the
pandemic we have been waiting for? The World Health Organization (WHO) state
on their web site they are coordinating the global response to human cases of
swine influenza (H1N1) and monitoring the corresponding threat of an
influenza pandemic.
Hopefully, it will not be
the pandemic we have been preparing for and this outbreak will wake up the
public on the importance of pandemic preparedness. Take this public health
crisis as an opportunity to teach the public on your role and plans.
Please do not hesitate to
call me at 448-4882 ext 331 or cell: 449-2142
Kris Magnussen RN-BC, MSN
What
is a Pandemic?
A
pandemic is a global disease outbreak. An influenza pandemic occurs when
a new influenza A virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity
in the human population, begins to cause serious illness and then spreads
easily person-to-person worldwide.
(PandemicFlu.gov)
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Case Definitions for Infection with H1N1
F confirmed:
symptomatic & + lab confirmation (
RT-PCR/viral culture)
F probable:
symptomatic & +influenza A lab
test but negative for H1 & H3
F suspected:
symptomatic & had contact to
confirmed case
Resources
on Swine Flu
WHO: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
US GOV: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/
Pan
American Health Org: http://new.paho.org/hq/index.php?lang=en
Center
for Infectious Disease Research & Policy: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu
American
Public Health Association: http://www.apha.org/
What is the Swine Flu? 
- H1N1- type A influenza virus
- Respiratory disease of pigs that crossed over
to humans
- Transmitted via respiratory droplets like the
seasonal influenza
- Contagious: 1 day before to 7 days after onset
of illness
- Symptoms:
F flu like- fever,cough, sore throat
,aches, headaches, chills
F diarrhea and vomiting reported
F pneumonia è respiratory failure and death in some cases
- Treatment: antivirals (Tamiflu) given within 2
days of illness can lessen the length of illness; rest and stay away
from others
- Can not get sick from eating pork
Vulnerable Population
We will be contacting you
for assistance in identifying agencies and organizations that work with the
“vulnerable” population. We will be working with the CT Department of Health
in putting together a comprehensive data base to enhance communication in the
event of an emergency.
We have been working with
the Supportive Care Shelter Operations Guidelines work group and hope to
share it with you soon.
Meet our Epidemiologist Sue Starkey
Ledge Light Health District
is one of the few local health departments to have an epidemiologist. I feel
so fortunate to work with Sue, especially in times like this.
Sue is a specialist in both
chronic and communicable disease. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees in nutrition (at UMASS Amherst and Boston
University, respectively) and worked
as a dietitian in major teaching hospitals in Massachusetts before returning to UMASS to
earn an MPH in epidemiology. She began her first job as an epidemiologist for
a local health department in East
Hartford, CT in
2000, and came to Ledge Light in 2007.
No, she does not study skin
or bugs (she leaves that to dermatologists and entomologists), she studies epidemics.
Actually, it’s not quite that dramatic; she does respond to disease
outbreaks, but much of her time is spent collecting and analyzing data that
describes the health status of East Lyme, Groton,
Ledyard, New London, and Waterford residents. This data is used to
create reports for the general public and policy makers. The goal of these
efforts is to prevent or control illness and injury. Consequently, Sue plays
an important role in preparedness efforts. She maintains surveillance systems
to track reportable communicable diseases such as food borne illnesses,
tuberculosis and babesiosis, but recognizes that emerging disease will not be
identified through tradition surveillance systems, but rather through
communications between health, safety, government and other officials who
collectively comprise preparedness teams. “It’s great that we’re learning
more about the skills and capabilities of all the key players; it will really
help to ensure timely and effective response to health threats in the
region”, says Sue. “I’m excited to be part of the effort”.
LEDGE LIGHT HEALTH DISTRICT
http://www.ledgelighthd.org/
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