Monday, April 27, 2009
No swine flu reported here, but Virginia declares public health emergency
State opens command center to track flu-like illnesses.
RICHMOND – Virginia has no reported cases of swine flu, but Gov. Tim Kaine said today that state officials are taking steps to prepare for any outbreaks.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Remley has issued a public health emergency declaration and health officials have opened a command center to track reports of flu-like illnesses at hospital emergency rooms across the state, Kaine said at a news conference this afternoon.
"This declaration that has been done by Karen is a declaration that we needed to make, but the practical effect of it is to allow the kind of communications which are helpful to both prevent and respond to an outbreak," Kaine said.
Kaine said the state has stored about 770,000 courses of antiviral medication and will receive another 280,000 from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control within a week. State officials are communicating with federal authorities and health officials in other states to track reports of the flu outbreak, the governor said.
Kaine said the state has conducted six exercises to test its preparedness for pandemic flu outbreaks since 2006, when an avian flu outbreak triggered health concerns.
"We have done extensive preparation in state government," Kaine said.
Swine flu has been responsible for deaths in Mexico, but none of the estimated 40 reported cases in the United States has been fatal. The governor and the Virginia Department of Health issued a list of standard guidelines to guard against the illness and advised anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms to contact a health care provider.
"If you feel like you need medical attention, we're asking first that people call ahead to their health care providers to say why so that the providers can take necessary infection control measures," Kaine said.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Remley has issued a public health emergency declaration and health officials have opened a command center to track reports of flu-like illnesses at hospital emergency rooms across the state, Kaine said at a news conference this afternoon.
"This declaration that has been done by Karen is a declaration that we needed to make, but the practical effect of it is to allow the kind of communications which are helpful to both prevent and respond to an outbreak," Kaine said.
Kaine said the state has stored about 770,000 courses of antiviral medication and will receive another 280,000 from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control within a week. State officials are communicating with federal authorities and health officials in other states to track reports of the flu outbreak, the governor said.
Kaine said the state has conducted six exercises to test its preparedness for pandemic flu outbreaks since 2006, when an avian flu outbreak triggered health concerns.
"We have done extensive preparation in state government," Kaine said.
Swine flu has been responsible for deaths in Mexico, but none of the estimated 40 reported cases in the United States has been fatal. The governor and the Virginia Department of Health issued a list of standard guidelines to guard against the illness and advised anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms to contact a health care provider.
"If you feel like you need medical attention, we're asking first that people call ahead to their health care providers to say why so that the providers can take necessary infection control measures," Kaine said.
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