We can get through this flu season

By Dr. Mel Kohn

, Nov 16, 2009

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(Soapboxes are guest opinions from our readers, and anyone is welcome to write one. Dr. Mel Kohn is the Oregon Public Health Director.)

Oregon Public Health has activated our H1N1 emergency operations center fulltime, which coordinates Oregon’s response to the flu. H1N1 is not more severe than regular seasonal flu, but it is a new strain of influenza so more people will get sick. This could have serious implications for our local communities and businesses as they struggle to operate with absent employees. And while complications from the flu are rare, demand on our health care system is increasing.

Last week, the news came out that vaccine for H1N1 was going to arrive in Oregon more slowly than expected. Flu vaccine manufacturers are producing less than anticipated; this is a national issue. But even without early and large supplies of H1N1 vaccine, we will get through this flu season.

Oregon Public Health’s emergency operations center is carefully monitoring hospital capacity and medical supplies, and we stand ready to deploy supplies to hardest hit areas. State health officials are working closely with local public health departments, including Washington County, to monitor the flu in their communities and send whatever resources they may need. We are also maintaining a statewide hotline and Web site to help people get the information they need to protect themselves and their families.

The H1N1 vaccine is trickling into the state. While those individuals who get the vaccine in the next weeks will get some protection, we will probably not have enough vaccine to really change the overall trajectory of the pandemic this fall. It is likely, however, that H1N1 will last into the spring, so vaccinating as many people as possible, even if that takes us well into 2010, will still be very beneficial.

As the vaccine comes in, people most at risk from flu complications should be at the front of the line: pregnant women, children, people with underlying health conditions, health care workers and front line law enforcement and people who care for babies 6 months old or less. This accounts for just over half of Oregon’s population.

Flu clinics are handled locally with the assistance of county public health departments and tribes. Because of the delay of vaccine, some flu clinics have been rescheduled and others are opening later than expected. Oregon Public Health is surveying the counties, including Washington County, on a regular basis and keeps information as current as possible at www.flu.oregon.gov and the statewide flu hotline at 1-800-978-3040.

Until the vaccine arrives, protect yourself and others from getting the flu: wash your hands, cover your cough with something other than your hand, and stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever has subsided. If you are a business owner, have a plan that allows your employees to stay home when they are sick.

Oregon Public Health receives many questions about the flu, and it’s clear that people are concerned, but they are not panicked, and that is the appropriate response. We all want to do whatever we can to slow the spread of H1N1 and get the vaccine as soon as it is available. We are committed to providing up-to-date, solid flu news as soon as it’s available. Together, we will get through the flu season.