Swine Flu Update
St. Luke's Responds to Swine Flu Warnings Issued by the Center for Disease Control
Bethlehem, PA (4/27/2009) - Jeffrey Jahre, MD, St. Luke's Senior Vice President for Medical and Academic Affairs and Chief, Infectious Diseases, advises to take caution but not to panic when it comes to the swine flu or its symptoms.
"Hospitals in the Lehigh Valley and within the region have a plan in place that helps us to regionally prepare for these kinds of emergencies," Dr. Jahre said. "We do not want people in the community to panic unduly. The medical community takes these kinds of situations seriously, and we will continue to update and share information as we get it."
St. Luke's Following CDC Recommendations
St. Luke's is following the recommendations of the CDC which include the following for patients with suspected or confirmed H1N1 swine flu:
- Patients exhibiting symptoms should alert personnel at hospitals, the physician's office or urgent care center so the medical personnel may make proper precautions.
- A screening process is in place to question the patient with a fever or respiratory illness if they have traveled to Mexico, southern Texas and San Diego.
- Appropriate patients who may have traveled and exhibit symptoms will be tested with traditional nasal or throat cultures. Patients will wear masks over nose and mouth.
- The patient will be placed in respiratory isolation until determination of the virus. This means a room with negative pressure air handling that is not shared within the hospital. Positive test results are shared with state laboratories and the CDC. Patients are treated as appropriate.
Use of Anti-Virals to Combat Swine Flu
The disease responds well to anti-virals like Tamiflu® and Relenza® for patients whose results are positive for the virus, according to the CDC. However, those medications are not currently recommended to be used prophylactically, or as a preventive measure, according to Dr. Jahre.
Swine Flu Strikes Younger Populations
"Traditional flu strikes very young, old or those with impaired immune systems. The swine flu differs from the traditional influenza in striking younger populations, which occurs because it is a new strain in a population without natural immunities to it," said Dr. Jahre. "Of all the cases in the United States, no deaths have resulted, so the outcome currently is positive. However, we are tracking this flu virus to see if it mutates into a different form."
Basic Precautions
Some very basic precautions should be observed, including the following to use the following precautions, as with any infectious disease:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or with alcohol base cleaners if not visible soiled.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Dr. Jahre recommends seeing a family physician as a first step if you or a family member feels ill. "A number of colds and upper respiratory illnesses are prevalent during the change of season, but that without a fever and dry cough is likely to not be flu," he said.
Dr. Jahre said, "Please be aware that adults with this flu may be infectious a day before the onset of symptoms until a day after the onset. Children may be infectious up to a week."
For more information, please see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site (cdc.gov/swineflu)
