Swine Influenza Information

Salt Lake Valley Health Department Letter to Administrators (4/27/09).

Salt Lake Valley Health Department Letter to Administrators (4/27/09) En Espanol.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Swine Influenza and You.

Date:     April 30, 2009
To:         Principals, Teachers, Support Staff, Students and Parents
From:    Sr. Catherine Kamphaus, Superintendent,
              Sr. Genevra Rolf, Associate Superintendent

Re:        Swine Flu Protocol

The Catholic Schools, Diocese of Salt Lake City, have adapted the guidelines set forth by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in response to the possible outbreak of Swine Flu.

The guidelines as of April 30, 2009 state:

• Stay informed. The CDC website will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. 
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. 
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. 
  • Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. 
• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures. 
• Develop a family emergency plan as a precaution. This should include making alternate arrangments for child care in case of school closure or illness, storing a supply of food, medicines, facemasks, alcohol-based hand rubs and other essential supplies.

In addtion, Sr. Catherine reminds principals of Policy 5100, Communicable Disease. This policy calles for action on a case by case basis and communication sent as necessary. The policy also requires that the school report to the Department of Health any communicable diseases which develop.

Utah Public Health Officials Take Precautions Against Swine Flu
Faroe Robinson, KCPW Apr 27, 2009

Although no cases of Swine Flu are suspected in Utah, public health officials and hospitals are taking precautions to make sure any
potential cases are caught in the early stages. KCPW's Faroe Robinson reports.

Story Transcript

The Utah Department of Health is warning anyone with flu-like symptoms to stay home and avoid close contact with others, and is advising people experiencing severe flu-like symptoms including respiratory problems, body aches, fever, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea to see a doctor. Executive Director David Sundwall says physicians should collect samples from those with the flu for testing at the Utah Public Health Laboratory. He says lab results can tell within 24 hours if the flu is a normal strain, but confirming swine flu cases is more complicated.

"If we in fact test and learn that its an influenza virus, but when we try and sub-type it and that comes up as an unknown on our machine, then that makes us concerned it could be a swine flu or some other kind of virus, that's when we'd send it to CDC, and that would take about three days to get that information back."

As a precaution, the Department of Health has ordered 25 percent of the state's share of anti-viral medications from the US Centers for Disease Control, which includes other supplies like masks to prevent an outbreak. According to the CDC web site, several antiviral drugs have been effective against swine flu.

Salt Lake Valley Health Department Executive Director Gary Edwards says the state is not issuing any official warnings, but that state hospitals and labs are actively trying to indentify any possible cases early. He says this may be one reason that cases in the U.S. have been milder and
more controlled than in Mexico.

"Their system is not set up to go out and actively be looking for cases. We have our public health system that is not only waiting for a positive case to be reported to us, we are trying to identify any potential suspect, and as soon as there is a suspect case we are then working with any potential contacts that those individuals may have had."

Edwards says flu-like symptoms are common in many different illnesses, and recommends that people who feel ill stay home, avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with their hands, and sneeze or cough into their sleeve or elbow rather than their hand. He adds that eating well and practicing good health habits are the best ways to build up a person's immune system.

Roger Keddington, Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Emergency Departments of Intermountain Medical Center, LDS Hospital, and Alta View Hospital, says people don't need to be worried just because they have a few flu-like symptoms.

"We don't want people to panic, it doesn't seem to be spreading as fast at this time, just being well informed, and taking simple logical precautions, but this is a time when a lot of people have congestion and runny noses and coughs, there are a lot of allergies out there, the real key is watching for the fevers and the aches coming in with that."

Keddington encourages people with more severe symptoms to contact their health care provider first before coming to the emergency room. However, as a precaution, hospitals are putting masks on those with flu-like symptoms and their family members, and placing them in a private room. Keddington commends the state for being proactive and trying to catch cases quickly. He says the virus is not spreading very rapidly, and believes that with these simple precautions, it will not spread to Utah.