Officials gird for coming flu season

MAT-SU — While fears about H1N1 Influenza have dropped from the national spotlight, Alaska health officials say the disease commonly known as swine flu is still present and posses a serious risk.

As of July 15, Alaska has had 218 confirmed cases of H1N1, none of which have resulted in death. The state’s Department of Health and Social Services does not differentiate between individual communities, but 176 cases came from the Anchorage and Mat-Su region. Refusing to be specific, public information officer Greg Wilkinson said, “You can count the number of cases in the Valley on one hand.”

While the rate of infection may be encouraging after the first case was confirmed in Wasilla on June 11, Mat-Su Borough Emergency Manager Tom Smayda is not complacent.

Smayda said health officials nationwide are anticipating a spike in the number of H1N1 cases during the flu season this fall. Communities need to keep preparing, and the borough is no different.

Currently, the flu is responding well to antiviral medication, such as Tamiful and Relenza, and the borough is well-positioned to distribute its stocks on a large scale, Smayda said.

But, he said, “There are concerns the virus may mutate several times, making it resistant to the traditional treatments.”

The most effective method to combat a mutated virus would be vaccination, Smayda said. While a H1N1 vaccine is still in the research and development phase, the borough is already preparing for mass inoculations.

On Aug. 7, members of HSS, the borough and the Mat-Su Public Health Foundation are hosting a free vaccination clinic for children getting their required second immunization against varicella. The clinic is from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center.

Not only will this protect classrooms against chicken pox, but it is the perfect example of inter-agency cooperation needed if a H1N1 vaccine is distributed, Smayda said.

“This event is also for us to practice for the H1N1 vaccine, if needed,” he said.

Mass vaccinations are one part of the borough’s pandemic flu response plan, Smayda said in a prior interview.

The pandemic flu part of the emergency plan has been continually worked on since its conception during the avian flu scare of the early 2000s, he said. It includes identifying the essential functions to keep the government and services going, understanding what agencies are responsible for what services, and how to deal with the extra strain on the health care outlets in the Valley.

The pandemic flu response plan is being fine-tuned to fit the challenges particular to H1N1 influenza, and everything should be in place by the beginning of flu season, Smayda said.

“Our isolation helped us,” Smayda said. “We’ve had this preparedness period while the rest of the country has been dealing with it. We’ve had some wiggle room to get prepared.”

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.