Yancey flu scare draws CDC (not H5N1)

[Niko]

Probably nothing to consider for those outside of Yancy County, N.C. but...

Flu-like Illness Closes Yancey County Schools
AP

(11/02/06 - BURNSVILLE) - An outbreak of flu-like illness that sickened about 250 of Yancey County's 2,700 public school students has led school officials to cancel classes through next week.
Also on abc11tv.com:
Children from two schools and several child care centers reported symptoms similar to the flu, county officials said.

Some who went to their doctors' offices had positive responses to a rapid flu test, said Debbie Crane, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Human Services.

"But the rapid flu test is notorious for giving false positives" because it has difficulty distinguishing between the flu virus and parainfluenza viruses, which cause colds and croup, she said.

The N.C. State Laboratory of Public Health received samples from the county Wednesday. It was conducting more precise tests and hoped to have results by Thursday afternoon, Crane said.

If the results are positive, it would be the first confirmed cases of the flu in North Carolina this year.

Yancey County canceled classes at its nine schools -- six elementary, two middle and one high -- for Thursday, Friday and Monday. Classes were already canceled Tuesday due to a teacher workday.

Barbara Tipton, county schools superintendent, was not immediately available for comment Thursday, an assistant said.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=central&id=4720200

[Thornton]

Re: US speculation

NBC 17 http://www.nbc17.com/print/10227766/detail.html
North Carolina Records First 2006 Flu Cases
POSTED: 6:06 pm EST November 2, 2006
UPDATED: 7:53 pm EST November 2, 2006
RALEIGH, N.C. -- The state Laboratory of Public Health has confirmed the first two cases of flu in North Carolina this year. Both were in Yancey County in the western part of the state. Both patients tested positive for influenza B, but those tests are preliminary. On Wednesday, Yancey County officials closed the school system through Tuesday because of the unusually high rate of students and faculty experiencing influenza-like symptoms. Doctors said the best way to fight the flu is to wash your hands and get your flu shot. In Wake County, human services will kick off a series of flu vaccine clinics starting Saturday. No appointments are necessary. Due to a delay in vaccine delivery, two flu shot clinics in Orange County have been canceled.

Comment - no mention is made about flu shots in Yancey County. I checked the County web site and no news available. Same for state web site. JT

[Thornton]

Re: US speculation

Additional advice from Yancey County -

http://www.wral.com/apncnews/10227363/detail.html

[State Health Director Dr. Leah] Devlin urged state residents to help protect themselves by covering their faces with tissue when they cough or sneeze, and by washing their hands carefully. "And, if you have symptoms of flu, stay home," she said.
Tipton said school buildings will be thoroughly cleaned, including restrooms, water fountains and high-traffic areas.
Residents were urged to stay away from large gatherings.
"We just need everyone to act responsibly," [Lynda Kinnane, supervisor of the Yancey County Health Department] said. "Sporting events, recreational events _ any high-gathering event _ have been canceled or we're recommending that they be canceled."

[Siam]

Yancey flu scare draws CDC (not H5N1)

Yancey flu scare draws CDC by Angie Newsome, ANEWSOME@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM
published November 7, 2006 12:15 am

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research team is scheduled to arrive in Yancey County this week to investigate a recent flu outbreak that closed schools and some churches.

Lynda Kinnane, supervisor of the Yancey County Health Department, said the four-person research team would help local and regional officials research how the flu spread from person to person and whether the decision to close the school system last Wednesday was effective. < = =text/> OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1');

?We?ve never had anything like this happen here before,? Kinnane said. ?We welcome them coming.?

Officials are also set to decide today whether the county?s nine-school system should reopen Wednesday as originally planned, Kinnane, Yancey County Manager Michele Lawhern and Yancey County Schools Superintendent Barbara Tipton said.

Officials decided to close the 2,575-student school system last week after about 250 children and up to 45 teachers became ill with a widespread flulike illness, causing mass absenteeism.

Debbie Crane, a spokeswoman with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, said last Thursday that preliminary tests showed that the county has at least two cases of the flu, the first confirmed influenza cases in the state this flu season.

Local health officials gave a total of 1,200 flu shots in the last week, Kinnane said, adding that the health department may organize another flu shot clinic for the weekend. Flu shots are also available during regular operating hours at the county health department.

It generally takes about two weeks for flu shots to be effective.

Tipton said the school system offered flu shots yesterday. Flu shots will be offered to current and retired school employees again from 1 to 7 p.m. Monday.

While officials have recently encouraged residents to avoid gathering places, Lawhern said that all polling places are equipped with hand sanitizers and disinfectant spray for today?s election.

?We are encouraging folks certainly to still get out to vote,? she said.

Contact Angie Newsome at 828-232-5856, via e-mail at anewsome@ashevill.gannett.com

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661106081

_Mods have posted here, unsure of where to post please move if needed. TY.________________

[LMonty]

Re: Yancey flu scare draws CDC (not H5N1)

this is a wonderful opportunity to study in real time what interventions made a difference! I think its very proactive of the CDC to go, and am glad to see this. I hope it will give us some info on good social interventions to use in H5N1 hits. It may also let us kno whow the population reacted to govermetn requests for socail distancing etc. It may not completely apply, since the percieved risk is much lower for seasonal flu than pandmeic-but I hoep that we can exptrapolate their findings and use them to help save lives.

[Niko]

Re: Yancey flu scare draws CDC (not H5N1)

LMonty, I totally agree!

I moved older posts here from former discussion to show chain of events.