Health officials advise sick residents to monitor temperatures

Greg Phillips

May 1, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- As the H1N1 flu, formerly known as swine flu, creeps closer to the Wiregrass, local medical officials are working to battle the virus primarily through education and information.

Two children in Madison are believed to have caught the virus, state health official Dr. Donald Williamson said Thursday.

But so far, no cases have been reported in the Wiregrass. Alabama Department of Public Health Area 10 Administrator Peggy Blakeney urged residents to exercise caution in the coming days.

"We do expect to have some cases in our area," Blakeney said. "It is appropriate to be concerned, but don't panic. There is a heightened level of urgency. If you are sick, you need to isolate yourself in your home."

The Alabama High School Athletic Association canceled all events for the next week in reaction to the H1N1 outbreak.

Local doctors and nurses have expressed concern that public fear will lead to an influx of mildly sick patients afraid they're suffering from the H1N1 flu and seeking treatment.

But according to Blakeney, the best policy for sick residents is to stay home and monitor their temperatures.

"If your temperature is 100 or higher, call your physician or a local doctor's office and let them give you instructions of what to do and how to treat it," she said.

H1N1 is treatable by Tamiflu and Relenza, two antiviral medications, and only one death has been reported in the U.S. as a result of the virus so far.

Emergency management personnel are ready for shipments of personal protection equipment to be sent in from the Center for Disease Control, but Houston County EMA Director Clark Matthews says if the virus gets worse, his staff will need help from the community, given the fact that the agency is still dealing with the ramifications of the floods from earlier this month.

"We're stretched real thin," Matthews said. "The equipment we'll receive on the first round of CDC allotments will be masks, personal protective clothes and sterilization items. If we're to distribute to the general public, we'll ask volunteer organizations to step up to the plate like they did during the floods."

For now, Blakeney said she is hoping for this to be a mild outbreak, but the state must still prepare for a severe one.

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