As of Thursday, there were no reported or suspected cases of swine flu in Montgomery County, but the county still enacted a plan to keep residents safe. Following are the ongoing efforts to monitor the new flu strain here:
Surveillance: Doctors, clinics and hospitals are reporting any suspected case to the county health department.
911 protocol: 911 operators are questioning callers on the nature of their medical emergency to alert emergency medical technicians about suspected flu cases.
EMT precautions: Emergency medical services are required to use masks and goggle, and in some instances gowns, when dealing with suspected flu cases.
Communications: County is communicating with cities, schools, health care agencies, police and fire department and social service agency with updates.
Education: County is initiating public education for residents to adopt good hygiene practices.
Source: Montgomery County Hospital District
About 60 community leaders from across Montgomery County attended a briefing Thursday on local plans to address an outbreak of swine flu if it occurs in the county.
As of Thursday, there no reported cases of the new flu strain in Montgomery County.
“We’re pleased to report today that Montgomery County has no suspected or confirmed cases cases of H1NI (the swine flu virus),” said Montgomery County Judge Alan B. Sadler.
Despite a lack of cases, the county has enacted a plan to keep residents safe. Its efforts include a new 911 protocol to identify potential cases early, new cautionary measures by emergency medical services, surveillance of potential cases from health care professionals and hospitals, assistance from constables in transporting samples to a regional lab in Houston, ongoing communications with public agencies and a public education campaign.
“I’m pretty optimistic that we can probably get through this without any major problems,” Sadler said. “I just hope I don’t have to eat my words in a few days.”
The county is currently monitoring any suspected cases from local doctors, clinics and hospitals through the county health department and, to date, about 35 samples have been sent to the regional testing site in Houston for analysis. All have been negative for swine flu.
Allen Johnson, chief executive officer of the Montgomery County Hospital District, said that so far the system is running smoothly, with residents going to their private doctors and not overwhelming area emergency rooms. Under county protocol, doctors will perform a rapid flu test to determine if the virus is an A or B strain, and any suspected cases are sent to a lab for testing, which takes about four to six hours. Any samples that test positive are sent to the Centers for Disease Control for confirmation.
“It could be three days before you get a true confirmation,” Johnson said.
As a precautionary measure, county 911 operators are questioning callers on the nature of their medical emergency and notifying emergency medical technicians if it is a suspected flu case. On suspected flu cases, EMTs are required to wear masks and goggles, and even gowns if appropriate, when handling the patients.
Johnson said the Montgomery County Hospital District is getting about three to five calls a day from residents with flu-like symptoms.
To expedite transportation of case samples to Houston, Montgomery County has enlisted the county constable offices to transport local samples first to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Montgomery County and then to Houston at 2 p.m. daily.
“We’ve been planning and practicing for this for a long time,” said Emily Llinas, public health preparedness director for UTMB in Montgomery County. “We hope a pandemic never comes here, but if we do, we are ready.”
The county also initiated ongoing discussions with many entities in the community, including cities, schools, health care agencies, police and fire departments, and social service agencies to address ongoing concerns. The Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management will coordinate the effort and get necessary supplies, if needed, said Nick Kelly, deputy director of that office.
The county said it has a small stockpile of anti-viral medication for first responders should critical personnel begin to get ill. The state also has a supply that will be distributed should the pandemic hit.
The county is promoting public education on the topic and is encouraging good hygiene practices, including frequent hand washing, use of hand sanitizers when water is not available and reducing hand shakes, kissing and hugs at public gatherings and practicing social distance.
The county is not encouraging school closure or canceling of public events at this time, but urged communities to practice caution. As an example, Johnson said that CISD has limited student travel outside the district at this time.
One of the key areas of concerns was in public education. CISD is enforcing a policy to require students with a fever to stay home until 24 hours after it subsides.
When asked if a preschool student returning from travel in Mexico should be permitted back in class, Johnson referred the question to the individual’s pediatrician. However, Johnson said the hospital district is considering a policy to keep any EMT travelling in Mexico off-duty for seven days before they can return to service. Johnson said one employee is currently in Mexico.
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