PASADENA PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT URGES HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND GENERAL PUBLIC TO BE ON WATCH FOR SWINE FLU
The Pasadena Public Health Department is issuing an alert to physicians to be on the watch for the A/H1N1 (swine flu) virus in humans.
While no individual cases have been identified in the Pasadena area at this time, as of today there are 40 confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States, with seven of those cases in California according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The illness in the U.S. currently is not severe.
“While this situation is fluid and changing, the Pasadena Public Health Department is implementing a response plan, and we are working with our community partners and providers to ramp up local surveillance,” said Dr. Takashi Wada, director and health officer with the Pasadena Public Health Department. “Since the flu season is waning, we are asking doctors to please take note if they see patients with high fevers, coughs and sore throats, who have recently traveled to affected areas such as Mexico or who have been in contact with persons who had fevers and who have been in these affected areas.”
Health providers should contact the Pasadena Public Health Department for clinical guidance on testing and treatment.
“We are working closely with our counterparts on the county, state and national levels to be as proactive as possible to minimize the potential impact of swine flu in the Pasadena community,” Wada added.
in addition, the Public Health Department urges the use of these prevention measures for the general public:
* As always, people with respiratory illnesses and fevers should stay home from work or school to avoid spreading infections, including influenza, to others in the community.
* Avoid close contact with people who are coughing or otherwise appear ill.
*Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
* Wash your hands frequently to lessen the spread of respiratory illness.
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