I understand that many of my constituents have questions and concerns about the H1N1 virus. I share those concerns and want to provide you with an on-line resource center where you can get the most up-to-date information about the H1N1 virus. On this site you will find links to local, state, and national sources of information as well as fact sheets for parents, schools, and businesses. Information and preparedness are key in keeping our communities healthy during this year’s flu season.
Best,
Mary Jo
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Swine Influenza
Provides information about H1N1, answers FAQ’s, tracks state by state cases, and provides travel notices and press briefings.
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
Franklin County H1N1 Information
Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Board of Health continue heightened surveillance as a result of the H1N1 flu outbreak. Both health departments are collaborating with the Ohio Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
http://www.co.franklin.oh.us/board_of_health/H1N1flu.htm
Madison County H1N1 Information
The Madison County Health Department is diligently working with all state and federal agencies to bring you the most up to date and accurate information available.
http://co.madison.oh.us/health/Swine%20Influenza%20and%20You.pdf
Union County H1N1 Information
http://www.uchd.net/GD/Templates/Pages/UnionCountyHD/UCHDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=389&ContentID=1066&Content=1219
You can also call the Union County Health Department at (937) 642-0801.
Ohio H1N1 Information
On Aug. 5, 2009, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) changed the way it reports H1N1 influenza activity to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the public to mirror surveillance of seasonal influenza. Individual cases will no longer be reported. For more information on this reporting change, please see the journal entry ODH Director Alvin D. Jackson, M.D., signed July 27, and a memo provided to public health colleagues Aug. 5th. Also check out ODH's new testing algorithm.
The Ohio H1N1 Information line is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please call : 1-866-800-1404 for answers to your questions about swine flu.
http://www.odh.ohio.gov/landing/phs_emergency/swineflu.aspx
5 Things Employers Need to Know About H1N1 Flu
Department of Health & Human Services
Until the 2009 – 2010 flu season actually hits this fall,we will not know whether H1N1 flu will remain at the same levels we’ve seen over the spring and summer, or mutate into a more severe form of flu. But even a moderate outbreak can cause serious illness and deaths. As an employer, you need to be aware of 5 basic steps to keep flu from spreading in your workplace and your community.
1. Keep your sick employees home.
If they’re already sick, let them stay home. If they get sick at work, send them home. And if your employees have kids who are sick, or can’t go to school or child care because they’ve been exposed to flu, your workers should stay home as well.
2. Plan now so you can continue to operate with a reduced workforce.
Promote teleworking, cross-train your staff, and use staggered shifts to have fewer workers in the workplace at the same time.
3. Encourage employees to get vaccinated.
Vaccines will be available for seasonal 2009 H1N1 influenza and seasonal flu. Encourage your employees to get both of them.
4. Keep the workplace clean.
Encourage your employees to wash their hands often. Remind them to use a tissue or their sleeves when they have to cough or sneeze. Make sure that surfaces likely to have frequent contact with hands get cleaned with cleaning agents.
5. Go to flu.gov for the latest information on H1N1 and seasonal flu.
Flu.gov is a one-stop government wide resource with planning tools for employers to get a jump start on the 2009 flu season.
5 Things Parents Need to Know About H1N1 Flu
Department of Health & Human Services
Right now, parents everywhere are preparing for a new school year. But if you’re a parent, you need to add one more item to that back-to-school checklist: what to do if someone in your family gets the flu. This fall we’re not only facing the regular seasonal flu, but also the H1N1 virus, a potentially more dangerous strain. As a parent, you need to be aware of 5 basic steps to keep your family healthy and keep flu from spreading in your community.
1. Make prevention the first line of defense.
Everyone needs to make it a routine to wash their hands often with soap and water. Remind your family to cough or sneeze into their sleeves orinto a tissue, not in their hands. These steps are easy, but they only work if every member of the family participates.
2. Make sure you and your entire family get vaccinated.
Vaccines are the best means we have to make sure that families and communities are protected from flu. Vaccines for both H1N1 and seasonal flu will be available this fall. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health, the CDC, and the Food and Drug Administration are working around the clock with vaccine manufacturers to make sure that flu vaccines are safe and effective.
3. Keep your children home if they’re sick.
If you’re sick, stay home as well. H1N1 spreads rapidly among kids and young adults; it’s especially risky if you’re pregnant. Look for these symptoms: Similar to seasonal flu, with H1N1 you’ll get a fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose; achiness, headache, chills and fatigue. Sometimes H1N1 causes diarrhea and vomiting. Both H1N1 and seasonal flu can be severe and occasionally deadly.
4. Start planning now in the event that one of your kids gets the flu.
Ask yourself these questions: If you work, have you made arrangements for child care? Have you talked with your employer about what to do in case you need to be out?
5. Go to flu.gov for the latest information on H1N1 and seasonal flu.
Flu.gov is a one-stop government wide resource with planning tools for parents to get a jump start on the 2009 flu season.
5 Things Schools Need to Know About H1N1 Flu
Department of Health & Human Services
The flu season coincides with the school season. This year schools andcommunities are not only facing the regular seasonal flu, but also the H1N1 virus, a potentially more dangerous strain. However, good planning now can allow schools to stay open, and protect students and staff, particularly those at high-risk of complications. Here are the 5 most important steps:
1. Make prevention the first line of defense.
Everyone—students, teachers, administrators and other staff—need to make it a routine to wash their hands often with soap and water. Remind them to cough or sneeze into their sleeves or into a tissue, not in their hands. These steps are easy, but they only work if students, teachers, and every member of the staff participate.
2. Make sure you know who’s at increased risk in your school.
H1N1 flu spreads rapidly among kids between the ages of 6 months through 24 years of age. The people who work with and care for them need to be careful as well. But this flu is especially risky for pregnant women and anyone between the ages of 25 through 64 who have chronic health conditions, for example, asthma, diabetes, or neuromuscular disorders. If children have underlying health conditions, encourage their families to contact a doctor at the first sign of symptoms.
3. Make sure sick people—children or adults—stay home.
If conditions in your community become severe, you might even consider preemptive school dismissal. Actively watch for signs of illness—similar to seasonal flu—in students and staff: Fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose; achiness, headache, chills and fatigue. Sometimes H1N1 causes diarrhea and vomiting. Both H1N1 and seasonal flu can be severe and occasionally deadly.
4. Make sure staff and families get vaccinated.
Vaccines are the best means we have to protect communities from flu. Vaccines for both H1N1 and seasonal flu will be available this fall. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health, the CDC, and the Food and Drug Administration are working around the clock with vaccine manufacturers to make sure that flu vaccines are safe and effective.
5. Go to flu.gov for the latest information on H1N1 and seasonal flu.
Flu.gov is a one-stop government-wide resource with planning tools for schools and families to get a jump start on the 2009 flu season.
Geographic Spread in the United States
The influenza activity reported by state and territorial epidemiologists indicates geographic spread of both seasonal influenza and 2009 influenza A (H1N1) viruses and does not measure the severity of influenza activity. During week 35, regional influenza activity was reported in OHIO and 13 other states.
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