Tweet
Tulsa Area Considered Swine Flu "Hot Zone"
Reported by: Lyndsay Levingston
Last Update: 9/15 6:08 pm
Oklahoma is one of 11 ?hot zone? states where the H1N1 virus is considered to be widespread.
Local experts report children as one of the major reasons swine flu cases are increasing across Green Country.
?It?s the children that generally spread influenza in the community,? Hudson said. ?With H1N1 we?re seeing more gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly in children.?
Dr. Robert Hudson, physician at OU-Tulsa, advises hand washing should last at least 30 seconds, with emphasis on the area under finger nails, sides of hands, and between fingers.
Hudson advises adults, especially daycare workers and teachers, to be extra careful.
?Every 20 years we have a pandemic, a new strain comes along, people don?t have resistance, and they catch it.?
If diagnosed in the first 48 hours, you can be treated, but it can take up to 6-7 days, sometime longer for kids, to shed the virus.
The Tulsa County Health Department is prepping for the vaccine shipment and has assured patients who are ?high risk? will be top priority. The groups include pregnant women, children 6 months to young adults 24 years old, people with chronic health conditions, daycare, school workers, and healthcare workers.
Reported by: Lyndsay Levingston
Last Update: 9/15 6:08 pm
Oklahoma is one of 11 ?hot zone? states where the H1N1 virus is considered to be widespread.
Local experts report children as one of the major reasons swine flu cases are increasing across Green Country.
?It?s the children that generally spread influenza in the community,? Hudson said. ?With H1N1 we?re seeing more gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly in children.?
Dr. Robert Hudson, physician at OU-Tulsa, advises hand washing should last at least 30 seconds, with emphasis on the area under finger nails, sides of hands, and between fingers.
Hudson advises adults, especially daycare workers and teachers, to be extra careful.
?Every 20 years we have a pandemic, a new strain comes along, people don?t have resistance, and they catch it.?
If diagnosed in the first 48 hours, you can be treated, but it can take up to 6-7 days, sometime longer for kids, to shed the virus.
The Tulsa County Health Department is prepping for the vaccine shipment and has assured patients who are ?high risk? will be top priority. The groups include pregnant women, children 6 months to young adults 24 years old, people with chronic health conditions, daycare, school workers, and healthcare workers.
