County health dept. mobilizes against swine flu
BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer
The strain of influenza that has produced swine flu is a "moving target," Ocean County Health Department officials said.

"We are still all hoping for the best situation, but planning for the worst," Daniel Regenye, Ocean County assistant public health coordinator said at a press conference on Monday.

Health department officials met to discuss how they are dealing with the H1N1 virus so far and the plans already in place should the virus mutate to a more severe form.

"What we are seeing so far is a mild illness for the most part," Regenye said. "This flu strain has not really been in existence before and could spread rapidly. As we move into the summer and fall, we are not sure where this is going. It's a moving target."

By the time the Bulletin went to press on Monday night, the number of confirmed Ocean County cases had risen to 40, including the death of a 6-year-old Jackson boy last week. The latest cases involved an adult and a child from Toms River, a young child from Tuckerton, an adult and a child from Jackson and an adult from Lakewood, said Leslie Terjesen, public information officer for the health department.

The federal Centers for Disease Control have classified the outbreak as a "Phase 6 pandemic," Ocean County Public Health Coordinator Ella Boyd said at the press conference.

"It's a novel virus, it's a new virus," she said. "People have no immunity with this virus. And that's what makes it a pandemic. Luckily the disease hasn't been very severe. It's very possible even more people have had it and didn't get sick enough to the doctor."

The "Spanish" flu pandemic of 1918 started out as a mild version of the flu in the spring, but mutated rapidly and "came back in the fall with a vengeance," Boyd said.

It's also a possibility with the H1N1 strain, she said.

""That's a possibility and that's why we need to plan for it," she said.

When pressed, Boyd said the odds were 50-50 that the new strain would either stay in its mild form or get worse.

Only the state Department of Health can confirm a diagnosis if H1N1 swine influenza, said Patricia High, an epidemiologist with the county health department.

The state data on confirmed cases comes from hospitalized patients only, she said.

Local physicians and some local labs can do a quick test that confirms whether an illness is a type A or type B influenza, but cannot test for the actual H1N1 strain, she said.

The symptoms include a fever of 100 degrees or more, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue. Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting.

"You need to have that criteria before we move any further ahead," High said.

People with chronic medical conditions like diabetes, cardiac problems, autoimmune disorders and cancer are most vulnerable to the virus, Terjesen said.

The health department will only release the age and town of confirmed cases, not names or medical background, Terjesen said.

"This is a joint decision," she said. "We've all met and decided what people need to know. We're concerned about the privacy of the affected individuals and their families."

The federal government is working on a two-dose vaccine for the H1N1 strain that should be available by late October or early November, Regenye said.

Ocean County will coordinate its regular annual flu shot clinics along with the H1N1 clinics, he said.

"It's going to be a tremendous challenge to run the two campaigns at the same time," Regenye said.

If the virus does mutate, the health department may advise "social distancing," meaning asking people to not attend or to cancel events that could draw crowds of people, he said.

There are simple precautions people can take to avoid being infected or from spreading the H1N1 virus.

Wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand cleaner. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or sneeze into your sleeve. If you are sick, stay home, Terjesen said.

The Ocean County Health Department has a Web page with the latest information on swine flu on the department's website at www.ochd.org.