Girdwood Clinic treats Swine Flu patients
By Bianca Durrant
Turnagain Times Correspondent
You may have heard that as the winter draws near, state health officials are preparing for the inevitable surge of the H1N1 flu virus.
First appearing in the United States in April 2009, H1N1 flu has quickly reached pandemic proportions. Part of the reason is that this new strain of influenza is very different from seasonal flu, and we have no built up immunity to it.
It is spread exactly the same way that seasonal flu is spread, from person to person by coughing, sneezing, and touching surfaces with the virus on it.
The H1N1 virus first gained notoriety with the epithet “swine flu” for the strain's genetic similarity to a flu that normally occurs in pigs. Health officials now know that H1N1 bears little resemblance to real swine flu, even if that nickname seems to have stuck. Health officials also know that the majority of people who get H1N1 virus recover at home with no problems, except for being sick of course. However, there are those who require hospitalization and those whose death reminds us that this is a virus we want to avoid. The symptoms are the same as with seasonal flu: fever, cough, chills, body aches, and fatigue.
According to Ken Waugh, physician's assistant at the Girdwood Clinic, he said, “It is presumed that there is no other flu circulating in the state at this time. The Girdwood Clinic has seen several confirmed cases of H1N1.”
Girdwood Fire Chief Bill Chadwick also confirmed that several firefighters at the Girdwood Fire Department also contracted H1N1.
Waugh said that Alaska is expecting to see the H1N1 vaccine in the first half of October. The priority groups will receive the vaccine first. Those groups include health care providers, emergency services personnel, pregnant women, and those who live with infants 0-6 months (newborns cannot be vaccinated).
Waugh also said that those seeking further information should contact the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
Health officials say that prevention is always the best way to avoid a virus. Get plenty of rest so that your immune system is in top form. Add some hygienic rituals to your repertoire so that the virus can be bypassed. Encourage yourself and others to cover noses and mouths with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing; wash your hands often; try not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth.
And finally, be thoughtful; avoid others when you feel symptomatic. Those who have flu virus are most contagious from one day before getting sick to one week after manifesting symptoms.
For more information visit the State of Alaska's website on flu preparedness: www.pandemicflu.alaska.gov.
