County working overtime in preparation for H1N1 virus
From our weekly issue dated September 09, 2009
The possibility of an H1N1 flu virus pandemic has Josephine County health officials working overtime planning for a worst-case scenario.
Belle Shepherd, Public Health Division manager, said that the onset of the school year has prompted further preparation and coordination between government agencies and area school districts, hospitals and physician groups.
“I hope the community can see that there are a lot of really committed people working on this,” Shepherd commented.
A few months ago, she added, all those community stakeholders began having conversations about anti-viral and vaccine distribution, as well as establishing clear lines of contact in case of an emergency caused by flu. Shepherd said that such planning is necessary due to the unusual nature of the H1N1 virus strain.
The seasonal flu tends to affect persons more than 65 years old with chronic health problems, she said, but the average age of persons killed by H1N1 is 37. Pregnant women also tend to be more vulnerable, Shepherd said.
“We’re really looking at a different population and a doubling effect, even at its lower level,” she said. “It’s not traditional.”
The health official said that part of the problem is that a younger, healthy body tends to overreact to combat the H1N1 virus. A similar situation occurred during a pandemic in 1918, she said, which also caused many younger people to perish.
In anticipation of mass infections, officials are examining ways of handling a potential surge of hospital patients.
Shepherd said that her department may have to get involved if the situation becomes too severe.
“If we have thousands of people ill, our emergency rooms and hospitals do not necessarily have the capacity to hold all those people,” she noted. “We might need to supplement the beds for the hospitals or help the hospitals with nonemergency stuff in a separate facility while they are handling the more critical access issues and patients.”
Shepherd noted that different county agencies also are coordinating their emergency plans. They include the finance, human resources, information technology and legal departments, as well as the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office. That way, the county’s essential services can be preserved, even if every department has personnel out with illnesses, she said.
Advertisement:
County officials are trying to establish back-up emergency systems to enable employees to telecommute and access information systems remotely, as well as meeting by telephone or computer, rather than in person.
Also being examined are the leave policies of the county’s human resources department, Shepherd said, to accommodate any potential increase of sick employees.
“We don’t want to fire people because they can’t come in to work sick, and we want to encourage people to stay home if they’re sick, even if they don’t have medical leave,” Shepherd said.
She does emphasize that in case of an H1N1 pandemic, vaccinations would not be mandated.
“That is not going to occur,” she said. “That is not even part of any effort we would consider.”
If someone were to refuse a vaccine, Shepherd said, “We would use the vaccine for another person in a high-priority group.”
Shepherd said that emergency preparation now consumes around 75 percent of her work time, but added that she would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to matters of public health.
“I would rather be over-prepared than under-prepared,” she said.
For more information, visit co.josephine.or.us/SectionIndex.asp?SectionID=105.
Advertisement:
