Re: Flu forum slated for Rutland today
Went to this last night, this is a sort of sketchy report, I'll be watching for public comments later.
Article published Sep 30, 2009
Forum focuses on H1N1 flu prevention
By Brent Curtis STAFF WRITER
When it comes to fighting swine flu there are vaccines and antiviral medications, but there are few things as effective as the "Dracula sneeze" popular at Rutland's elementary schools.
Named after the pose made famous by B?la Lugosi, School Superintendent Mary Moran said students have been learning to cover their mouths in the crooks of their elbows when they sneeze long before health officials began predicting widespread cases of H1N1 influenza this season.
"The kids are aware and they're listening to what we're telling them," Moran said.
The Dracula sneeze is more than a cute story.
While it wasn't referred to by that name during a state swine flu forum Tuesday, state Department of Health Commissioner Wendy Davis emphasized the importance of simple techniques that minimize the spread of the disease.
The most effective techniques: hand washing, staying home when sick and, of course, covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
It might sound like child's play, but with the vast majority of swine flu cases affecting children and young adults, educating the young may be the best way to limit the spread of the virus.
Moran, whose staff has been communicating with health officials since the first outbreaks of H1N1 in the spring, attended the forum at the Holiday Inn along with the school district's nurses. School officials made up part of the 52-member crowd of law enforcement, resident care providers, educators, residents and others who attended the forum.
"We're a public utility so we need a plan in case we get hit," Central Vermont Public spokesman Steve Costello said when asked why he attended. "We have a plan to reduce absentee impacts and another to ensure that we can continue to function if we do have a lot of people missing."
The forum, sponsored by the Vermont Health and Emergency Management departments, is the second of its kind held in Vermont this month with forums in Springfield and Lyndonville to follow.
For those who missed the event Tuesday, a similar forum is scheduled at the Holiday Inn on Oct. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Additional information on swine flu and the more common strains of influenza ? which are also expected in Vermont this year ? can be found at ? the Department of Health's Web site or by calling the state's information line at 211.
Davis walked the audience through a slideshow that looked at the differences between swine flu and the more common forms of influenza.
What makes swine flu different from seasonal flu is its impact on the young ? even people in their mid-20s ? who seem to have less immunity to the disease than people in their 70s and 80s, Davis said.
The lack of immunity in some age groups has also contributed to higher numbers of deaths from the disease, which most often kills people with compromised immune systems, chronic illnesses, diabetes, neuromuscular conditions and pregnant women.
Davis encouraged people with those conditions as well as people older than six months to 24, caregivers for young children and health and emergency medical personnel to seek out swine flu vaccinations once supplies are available in Vermont around the middle of October.
Davis also emphasized that the disease, only infrequently recorded thus far in Vermont, was on its way.
Using week-to-week data supplied by the Center for Disease Control, Davis charted exponential growth in the number of H1N1 cases across America during just the past three weeks.
Throughout that time, the number of cases in Vermont didn't grow. But Davis said she had no doubt they would.
"We know we can't keep it from coming here, but there's a lot we can do to decrease the impact," she said.
brent.curtis@rutlandherald.com
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