Grant County declares emergency

GRANT COUNTY — Grant County commissioners declared an H1N1 health emergency in Grant County to gain resources.

“Declaring an emergency allows us to receive more items to help those inflicted, such as masks, gloves and vaccinators,” said public information officer Theresa Fuller. “It doesn’t mean we get more shots, but it allows hospital staff and health care workers to assist us in vaccination clinics when we start getting more vaccine in.”

Fuller said the health district has only four nurses and needs more help administering shots and nasal spray as more vaccinations become available.

Following the declaration, the Grant County health officer released a Health Officer Order, directing hospitals and local governments in Grant County to implement their pandemic influenza ?emergency plans. Grant County Emergency Management is also prepared to support public health efforts.

“We have closely monitored the local and national status of H1N1 and believe it is important we take the necessary steps to protect our citizens,” stated Grant County Emergency Management director Sam Lorenz.

Emergency management recommends local employers prepare plans to sustain business operations if employees become ill and are unable to come to work. Links for business planning resources can be found at www.co.grant.wa.us/EM.

School absentee rates are higher than normal for this time of year and hospitals are overwhelmed by patients coming in with flu-like symptoms. Although most cases of H1N1 have been mild, the large number of cases are straining outpatient clinics and the capacity of local and regional hospitals, according to the Health Officer Order.

Since September, about 20 Grant County residents were hospitalized for severe flu-like symptoms and 428 others tested positive for Influenza A, Fuller said.

“The tests are a screening tool, a predictor of what is happening with the patient,” Fuller said. “They are definitely not the most reliable and depend on circumstances such as what you cough up and how far along you are when you come in.”

The Influenza A test only tells doctors if the patient is suffering from a flu-like illness and does not distinguish between seasonal or H1N1 swine flu.

“Doctors only test for H1N1 if someone is hospitalized or if they have died and were suspected to have H1N1 or in extraordinary circumstances, such as an ill pregnant woman,” Fuller said. “This is done because there is a limited scope our state can handle; they can’t test every individual with flu symptoms.”

While residents experiencing flu-like symptoms have died, there are no confirmed cases of H1N1-related deaths in Grant County, said Peggy Grigg, personal health administrator and personal health director.

Hospitalizations for some flu patients can be attributed to secondary illnesses, such as pneumonia.

“H1N1 can replicate deep in the lungs, where seasonal flu replicates in the nasal area and the upper respiratory passage such as the nose and throat,” Grigg said. “If conditions you have make it difficult to fight, you can cough up secretions and a germ forms. When that gets in the lungs and replicates, immune system activity takes place and pneumonia becomes an added concern.”

Doctors are able to tell patients with flu-like symptoms they have H1N1 without testing.

“Doctors are not testing anymore because they know it is here,” Fuller said. “Doctors will diagnose based on symptoms presented because of testing done in the past and since we normally don’t see flu-like symptoms this early.”

Health district staff has been conducting school-based H1N1 vaccination clinics and overseeing the community-wide distribution of the shot and nasal spray to health care facilities since October.

“Unlike seasonal influenza, the new strain of influenza is affecting the younger populations in greater numbers,” Grigg said. “The problem is being complicated by insufficient amount of available vaccine. Due to vaccine supply, the health district is constantly reevaluating our H1N1 vaccination plans. Our planning is to determine vaccination needs based on which people in our community are most impacted by influenza.”