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Health officials await specifics for H1N1 flu plans
July 20, 2009

By SUSAN FRICK CARLMAN scarlman@scn1.com
School may be out and the days may be long and summery, but the flu virus that has swept the globe over the past three months hasn’t taken a vacation.
Reported cases of H1N1 influenza in Illinois had climbed to 3,357 last Friday, when the state released its weekly tally. The number represents a 74 percent increase over five weeks. DuPage County’s case count rose from 82 to 141 over the period; while Will County saw its total rise from 102 to 147, 19 of them in Naperville.
Of the 15 deaths traced to the virus statewide, 12 were in Cook County. None has occurred in either of the local counties.
As participants convened in Springfield last week for the 2009 Illinois Public Health and Emergency Preparedness Summit, focusing on what state health czar Damon T. Arnold called “pandemic preparedness plans,” area health officials continued preparing for an increase in people sickened by the flu strain when fall comes. At Edward Hospital in Naperville — where the influx of new cases has let up a bit since June — that means an ounce of prevention.
“Specifically we’re looking at our stockpile of infection protection,” said Mary Anderson, infection control manager, who noted that efforts are directed toward ensuring there are adequate stores of masks, gowns and gloves to ward off extensive sharing of the virus in-house.
“We’re anxiously awaiting news on vaccine for H1N1, but we are definitely making plans to prepare our staff for seasonal flu,” she added.
Although specifics are scarce, Anderson and other health professionals expect to begin public H1N1 flu shots by mid-October. The vaccine is currently in clinical trials, which are expected to last until early August.
In the interim, the DuPage County Health Department is assuming the role of information provider, along with preparing for any part it might eventually play in administering the vaccine.
“We have done a significant amount of planning already, and we are looking at how we’re going to staff a potential H1N1 outbreak in the fall ... we want to be able to inform the public,” said David Hass, public information officer.
The Will County Health Department also aims to be ready when the flu comes back, although media services manager Vic Reato said the effort remains in “a holding pattern” until more information comes through. In addition to the matter of timing, it is still unknown if priority will be given to specific target groups and whether the shots will be administered singly or in multiple doses.
“Also, we’re waiting to see: is public health going to be predominantly responsible for distributing the vaccine, or will there be other means?” Reato said. “Those are all things that need to be determined on the federal level before we can make definitive plans.”
For now, the area agencies are trying to be at the ready.
“It is a very, very top priority,” Hass said.