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Source: http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_13578720
Swine flu scare intensifies
Patients hospitalized in Park City needed intensive care
Patrick Parkinson, Of the Record staff
Posted: 10/16/2009 04:29:52 PM MDT
Another Utahn with the swine flu has died and some patients in the Park City area who have contracted the illness have required intensive care.
"We have had a few patients with swine flu who have required hospitalization," said Dr. Kris Kemp, the director of the Park City Medical Center Emergency Department. "We've had patients who have been transferred out to other ICUs because we don't have an ICU in this facility."
But no patients have died from H1N1 flu at the hospital, he said.
"It's a respiratory illness and whenever that happens, your lungs start to swell," Kemp said.
People suffering from H1N1 flu are experiencing coughing, sneezing and a runny nose, he said, adding that some have vomiting and diarrhea.
"Our first feeling of how this person is, is how much pain they are in, how sick they appear," Kemp said. "There is a big difference between somebody coming in with a fever and a cough, and they are laughing and joking with their friends versus someone who has a fever and a cough, who is sprawled out because they can't even stand up because they're so dizzy."
Patients in Park City can now learn whether they have the swine flu about four hours after their test arrives at a laboratory in Murray.
The rapid tests allow doctors to quickly begin treating the H1N1 flu, Kemp said.
"Swine flu is just a form of flu, a special, very concerning form of flu," Kemp said. "We do see it daily."
The new tests also help determine whether the cause of the symptoms is
seasonal flu or the H1N1 virus, he said.
"Right now we don't want to have anyone go untreated because of the concerns of this H1N1 getting worse," Kemp said. "If there is something we can do to treat it, we are going to try to do it."
Meanwhile, school districts in Summit County are closely tracking their attendance to determine if buildings should close in the event of a flu outbreak. Officials are stressing the importance of hand-washing and are encouraging students to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze.
About 40 of the 350 students at North Summit Elementary School were absent this week, according to North Summit School District Superintendent Steve Carlsen.
He said North Summit Middle School, which has about 280 students, also had about 40 kids absent this week.
"The elementary said this has been the biggest week," Carlsen said in a telephone interview Friday. "We've just never had that at this time of year before."
About 20 kids were absent last week from North Summit High School, which has about 320 students.
The biggest culprit may be the flu, Carlsen said.
In Park City, the attendance rate at McPolin Elementary School hasn't dramatically dipped, officials say.
"We've been very proactive at our school district to inform the staff, as well as parents and students, to stay home from school if you're not feeling well," said Veronica Claridge, who monitors attendance at McPolin. "We are not seeing kids with just the slightest sniffle, throat ache or temperature coming to school."
Last spring, several cases of H1N1 flu forced school officials in Park City to cancel classes, she said.
But the absentee rate at the elementary school this year has been normal, she said.
"We do have absences due to illness. I have a student and a couple of staff members who are exhibiting the same symptoms," Claridge said. "But nothing that has caused a big volume of absenteeism."
People lined up Wednesday at health offices in Kamas and Coalville where nearly 200 H1N1 vaccines were administered.
On Friday, Summit County Health Department spokeswoman Katie Mullaly said she expected more than 200 H1N1 vaccines to be distributed at a clinic in the Snyderville Basin.
"The response has been overwhelming from people wanting to get vaccines for their children, and we tend to go through them very quickly," Mullaly said.
She said she expects Summit County to receive more swine flu vaccines next week.
"I don't know when they're coming or how many," Mullaly said. "We'll find that out at the beginning of the week."
For updates about H1N1 flu in Summit County visit summitcountyhealth.org.
Swine flu scare intensifies
Patients hospitalized in Park City needed intensive care
Patrick Parkinson, Of the Record staff
Posted: 10/16/2009 04:29:52 PM MDT
Another Utahn with the swine flu has died and some patients in the Park City area who have contracted the illness have required intensive care.
"We have had a few patients with swine flu who have required hospitalization," said Dr. Kris Kemp, the director of the Park City Medical Center Emergency Department. "We've had patients who have been transferred out to other ICUs because we don't have an ICU in this facility."
But no patients have died from H1N1 flu at the hospital, he said.
"It's a respiratory illness and whenever that happens, your lungs start to swell," Kemp said.
People suffering from H1N1 flu are experiencing coughing, sneezing and a runny nose, he said, adding that some have vomiting and diarrhea.
"Our first feeling of how this person is, is how much pain they are in, how sick they appear," Kemp said. "There is a big difference between somebody coming in with a fever and a cough, and they are laughing and joking with their friends versus someone who has a fever and a cough, who is sprawled out because they can't even stand up because they're so dizzy."
Patients in Park City can now learn whether they have the swine flu about four hours after their test arrives at a laboratory in Murray.
The rapid tests allow doctors to quickly begin treating the H1N1 flu, Kemp said.
"Swine flu is just a form of flu, a special, very concerning form of flu," Kemp said. "We do see it daily."
The new tests also help determine whether the cause of the symptoms is
seasonal flu or the H1N1 virus, he said.
"Right now we don't want to have anyone go untreated because of the concerns of this H1N1 getting worse," Kemp said. "If there is something we can do to treat it, we are going to try to do it."
Meanwhile, school districts in Summit County are closely tracking their attendance to determine if buildings should close in the event of a flu outbreak. Officials are stressing the importance of hand-washing and are encouraging students to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze.
About 40 of the 350 students at North Summit Elementary School were absent this week, according to North Summit School District Superintendent Steve Carlsen.
He said North Summit Middle School, which has about 280 students, also had about 40 kids absent this week.
"The elementary said this has been the biggest week," Carlsen said in a telephone interview Friday. "We've just never had that at this time of year before."
About 20 kids were absent last week from North Summit High School, which has about 320 students.
The biggest culprit may be the flu, Carlsen said.
In Park City, the attendance rate at McPolin Elementary School hasn't dramatically dipped, officials say.
"We've been very proactive at our school district to inform the staff, as well as parents and students, to stay home from school if you're not feeling well," said Veronica Claridge, who monitors attendance at McPolin. "We are not seeing kids with just the slightest sniffle, throat ache or temperature coming to school."
Last spring, several cases of H1N1 flu forced school officials in Park City to cancel classes, she said.
But the absentee rate at the elementary school this year has been normal, she said.
"We do have absences due to illness. I have a student and a couple of staff members who are exhibiting the same symptoms," Claridge said. "But nothing that has caused a big volume of absenteeism."
People lined up Wednesday at health offices in Kamas and Coalville where nearly 200 H1N1 vaccines were administered.
On Friday, Summit County Health Department spokeswoman Katie Mullaly said she expected more than 200 H1N1 vaccines to be distributed at a clinic in the Snyderville Basin.
"The response has been overwhelming from people wanting to get vaccines for their children, and we tend to go through them very quickly," Mullaly said.
She said she expects Summit County to receive more swine flu vaccines next week.
"I don't know when they're coming or how many," Mullaly said. "We'll find that out at the beginning of the week."
For updates about H1N1 flu in Summit County visit summitcountyhealth.org.