Panhandle Health District

                                                            8500 N. Atlas Road         Hayden, Idaho  83835

www.phd1.idaho.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        Date:     May 18, 2009                

Contact:                                                              Released by: Lora Whalen, Acting Director                      

Cynthia Taggart

Public Information Officer

(208) 415-5108

(208) 818-7288 (cell)

H1N1 Returns to Kootenai County

              Kootenai County’s second case of Novel H1N1 flu was confirmed Monday by the Idaho State Laboratory, bringing the state’s total cases to nine. The patient, who is no longer contagious, is a student at Ramsey Elementary School in Coeur d’Alene. The child did not attend school while ill.

              The Coeur d’Alene School District sent letters home with Ramsey Elementary students notifying parents of the H1N1 case and asking them to monitor their children for symptoms. The letters ask parents to keep children with symptoms home for seven days and consult a health provider.

The district also planned additional disinfecting tonight of all commonly touched surfaces, such as doorknobs and railings.

              Health officials believe the H1N1 virus infected the student during recent family travels out of state by car. No one else in the family has symptoms. The student was ill for three days and has recovered without hospitalization.

              “This is a reminder to everyone that Novel H1N1 has been identified in our state and we each need to do our part to help prevent the spread of the flu virus,” said Lora Whalen, Director of Family and Community Health for the Panhandle Health District. “Wash your hands frequently, cover your cough and stay home if you are ill. These three simple steps can help stop transmission of the flu virus.”

              The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised schools to manage the H1N1 virus by identifying ill students and staff early, advising them to stay home during their illness and promoting with staff and students good hand-washing and cough-etiquette.

              Kootenai County’s first H1N1 case was confirmed May 3. The woman recovered with no need for hospitalization. Monitoring of her close contacts showed no spread of the virus that now has infected more than 5,100 people in 48 states and more than 8,800 people worldwide.

              Health authorities believe H1N1 spreads through the air like the seasonal flu. Because H1N1 is a new virus, people have little to no immunity to it. Symptoms, too, are similar to the seasonal flu—fever, sore throat, cough, headache, body aches, chills and fatigue. Only a test can identify the virus causing the illness.

There is a stock of antiviral medications available in our community to treat severe influenza illness.  Antiviral drugs are prescription medications which work by decreasing the spread of flu viruses in the respiratory tract. No vaccine is available yet to prevent catching the new virus. The process to develop an effective vaccine takes six to nine months from the time the virus is first identified.

              PHD will continue to monitor the H1N1 flu with the help of schools, local governments and the medical community.