H1N1 shots on the way; schools hit hard

MAT-SU — With school attendance rates and sports teams being the latest victims of the H1N1 virus, a vaccine is on its way, according to Matanuska-Susitna Borough officials.

The first swine flu vaccines will start arriving in the middle of October, borough Emergency Manager Tom Smayda said. Top priority for the vaccine will go to health care workers, patients with underlying medical conditions, pregnant women and key government and utility workers.

Beginning in November, the borough will start holding mass vaccination clinics for the general public, Smayda said. There will likely be one in the Wasilla area, one in the Palmer area and perhaps another in the northern part of the borough. Dates and locations will be announced as the vaccine approaches, he said, and the shots will be free.

Smayda said the shots should also be available at most health care providers around the same time.

In the meantime, good hygiene and social distancing remain the most important preventative measures, Smayda said.

“Wash your hands 10 times a day,” he said.

If you feel flu-like symptoms, treat them no different than you would the seasonal flu, Smayda said. He recommends drinking lots of fluids, resting and taking medicine to control fever.

The symptoms and severity are similar to the seasonal flu, Smayda said. Of the people infected with H1N1, 80 to 90 percent have fevers over 100 degrees or sever coughs, and 40 to 50 percent experience shortness of breath or fatigue, he said. What makes H1N1 different is it can attack the upper respiratory system more aggressively, posing a threat to those with underling conditions.

But for most people, Smayda said, “determining if it is swine flu or not is not particularly important.”

Wearing respiratory masks is most beneficial for people who are already infected from spreading the virus, he said. Family members of those who become sick do not need to stay home in most cases, and there is no need to seek medical attention except for an underlying health condition or if symptoms become more complicated, Smayda said.

What is most important, he said, is for people experiencing symptoms to stay home. The current guideline is to not return to school or work until 24 hours after the fever has dropped below 100 degrees without the use of medications. While there is some evidence the virus is still active six or seven days after the symptoms disappear, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are still using the 24-hour guideline, Smayda said.

“I think they are finding there is a small portion of the population that stays contagious longer, but I don’t think they have determined that to be true for everyone yet,” he said.

Because of the potential of large absenteeism, the borough is in the process of developing an emergence operations plan. Officials are identifying essential functions and ways to split shifts and work remotely, Smayda said. They are also looking at a more liberal leave policy and how to adjust compensation for employees who do not make it to work.

“We call it a continuity of business plan,” he said. “If you want to keep your business operating, it’s something you should look at.”

One of the Mat-Su’s largest employers, the school district, has already been racked by the swine flu. Athletes in a variety of sports have been affected throughout the fall season, and parents are quick to keep their students home.

“We are seeing our share of absences,” public information office Catherine Esary said, but “if they have a fever, they should stay home.”

The standard protocol, Esary said, is to keep children home with a temperature greater than 100 degrees, heavy nasal congestion or coughing, diarrhea and vomiting or if they have been diagnosed with a contagious disease such as H1N1. But, she said, parents know their children best and should be the ones to make that judgment call.

As for teachers, there has been an increase in absences, but the district is well-staffed with substitutes, Esary said. There has not been any classes canceled, nor does the district have plans to do so.

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