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 Swine Flu - Online Discussion > Select A State Forum: > WASHINGTON > County Forums |
 Topic: SNOHOMISH |
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Gexydaf
Forum Moderator 
Washington Volunteer Joined: April 26 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 891 |
   Topic: SNOHOMISHPosted: September 26 2009 at 10:50am |
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Snohomish County Information
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"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."
-- Ben Franklin |
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Gexydaf
Forum Moderator
Washington Volunteer Joined: April 26 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 891 |
Posted: September 26 2009 at 10:12pm |
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Members and Guests, this is a county specific
place to post information and personal accounts of H1N1 (Swine Flu) in
your community. Questions are welcomed and are answered by folks
participating in the forum. Be sure to check out the rest of the
SwineFlu.org forum for an abundance of additional information.
The website for the Snohomish County Health Department, as it relates to H1N1 is: http://www.snohd.org/ Major cities include Everett, Edmonds, Marysville and Lynnwood. |
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"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."
-- Ben Franklin |
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Gexydaf
Forum Moderator
Washington Volunteer Joined: April 26 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 891 |
Posted: September 26 2009 at 10:14pm |
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Many students out sick at 2 Snohomish schools By Eric Stevick "Not all the absences were for flu-like illnesses, but many were," said J.Marie Riche, a Snohomish School District spokeswoman. Schools contact the health district when 10 percent of students are absent because of illness. On Tuesday, 93 of 836 students at Centennial Middle School in the district's north end were reported absent. That's 11 percent. At the same time, 82 of 766 students at Little Cedars Elementary School in the district's south end were reported absent. That's 10.7 percent. "This is not uncommon," said Suzanne Pate, a spokeswoman for the health district. "It happens as soon as people get into closed environments." School district officials said they had no way of knowing if students are experiencing the seasonal flu or the swine flu Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, medical director for the Everett Clinic's walk-in clinic, said he is not surprised to see reports of an increase in flu-related absences in the schools. Influenza never went away this summer, which is quite unusual, Tu said. Although the levels were low in the Puget Sound corridor, it remained in the community. "We saw it pick up right after Labor Day," Tu said. "For the last two weeks, we have seen more influenza activities, an increase in the number of patients with influenza-like illness and influenza tests given and an increase in the number of positive influenza tests we are getting back." "It doesn't surprise me when you tell me there is a school here or there that has a high absentee rate," he said. "We expected it, but it's not widespread." Riche, the Snohomish district spokeswoman, said schools are taking a more vigilant approach to monitoring illnesses this year and they are asking parents to keep their children home if they show signs of sickness. Health officials are urging people to take several basic steps to prevent the spread of the flu. Those precautions include carefully washing hands, covering one's cough and staying home when ill. Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com © 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA http://heraldnet.com/article/20090923/NEWS01/709239786 < ="" ="text/" ="http://heraldnet.com/js/s_code.js"> |
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"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."
-- Ben Franklin |
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sleusha
Forum Moderator
Missouri Volunteer Joined: May 02 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4453 |
Posted: October 31 2009 at 7:17am |
Swine Flu Clinics Open In Snohomish CountyPosted: 4:40 am PDT October 31, 2009Updated: 5:21 am PDT October 31, 2009  |
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Gexydaf
Forum Moderator
Washington Volunteer Joined: April 26 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 891 |
Posted: November 01 2009 at 10:55am |
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Swine flu shots draw crowds in Snohomish County By Bill Sheets and Sharon Salyer Snohomish County and local health organizations administered the vaccine at 10 different locations around the county. Some stood in line for more than four hours for a dose. “With the scare of an epidemic taking place, it's better to be safe than sorry,” said Allen Andrewin, 54, of Everett. He got into line at 9 a.m. outside the Community Health Center of Snohomish County in south Everett and was finally nearing the door at 1:30 p.m. The line wound completely around the large building. Many of those waiting were parents with young children. Crowds began massing as early as 3 a.m., waiting patiently for a chance to be immunized against the H1N1 virus. As many as 3,000 people were in line at one point at the Providence Physicians Group building near Mill Creek, said Teresa Wenta, a spokeswoman for Providence Everett Medical Center. The Providence clinic and several other locations closed off the lines when it was feared there might not be enough vaccine, said Christopher Schwarzen, a spokesman for the county. Some were reopened, some weren't. Vaccine was shuttled from clinics with shorter lines to those with more people waiting, Schwarzen said. The Providence location received about 1,500 more doses and the line was reopened after about 30 to 45 minutes, Wenta said “It was really unfortunate for the people who left,” she said. Later in the day, the lines dwindled and some had no wait at all. “We walked right in,” said Julie Kerr, who brought her twin daughters, Sophie and Alex, 5, to the clinic about 2:30 p.m. Preston Simmons, chief operating officer for Providence, estimated that by the end of the day, 4,000 people would be immunized at the site. A final count for all the locations won't be available until about Tuesday, Schwarzen said. About 30,000 doses were available around the county. In general, officials said the immunizations were an unqualified success. “I think that it's a remarkable medical story,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, health officer for the Snohomish Health District. “We have been able to demonstrate that we've got the ability to mobilize,” he said. “If we knew we had the vaccine, I think we could have mobilized for up to 100,000 doses of vaccine. I can't imagine that happening anywhere else — not in a county of comparable size.” More vaccination days could still be scheduled, possibly for next Saturday, Wenta said. That won't be known until midweek, she said. The immunizations on Halloween were offered in Stanwood, Edmonds, Monroe, Everett, Snohomish, Arlington, Marysville, Tulalip and Mill Creek. At Stevens Hospital in Edmonds, people began arriving at 3 a.m. and lines grew to an estimated 2,000 people later in the morning, said Steve Kaiser, hospital spokesman. Some people came from as far as Tacoma and Pierce County, he said. When Dr. Yuan-Po Tu arrived at Evergreen Middle School in Everett at 7 a.m. to begin preparing for the flu shot clinic, there were 300 people in line. By the time they began administering the vaccine at 8:30 a.m., there were 700 people in line. “We knew we were going to have a big day,” he said. Later, the line stretched out into the parking lot, down the block and into a cul-de-sac. Despite long waits, people were patient and appreciative, he said. Some in line stopped him to talk. “They said I just wanted to thank you,” Tu said. “I didn't even know who it was.” Although similar mass vaccination clinics were held on Oct. 24, the vaccination was limited to pregnant women and young children. About 5,000 people were vaccinated, far less than hoped for. A much broader group of people were eligible for the vaccination on Saturday, including teachers and child-care providers; anyone from 6 months through 24 years of age; household and caregiver contacts of children younger than 6 months of age; and people 25 to 64 years old who have medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma and heart problems that put them at higher risk of complications from influenza. “I've got a lot of tired nurses, medical staff and volunteers, but everyone is smiling,” Tu said as the flu shot clinic drew to a close Saturday afternoon. “This is a phenomenal win for the people in our community.” http://heraldnet.com/article/20091101/NEWS01/711019920 |
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"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."
-- Ben Franklin |
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Gexydaf
Forum Moderator
Washington Volunteer Joined: April 26 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 891 |
Posted: November 08 2009 at 7:43pm |
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A five month old male baby from Snohomish County died last Tuesday
Sunday, November 08, 2009
A
five month old male baby from Snohomish County died Tuesday, Nov. 3,
with influenza complications contributing to the death, the Snohomish
Health District announced Thursday. The cause of death is unconfirmed, pending laboratory test reports.
"We all grieve when the community loses a child," said Dr. Gary
Goldbaum, Health Officer and Director of Snohomish Health District.
"This little one had serious underlying health conditions, but that
does not make the loss any easier for the child's loved ones." The child lived in the Marysville area of Snohomish County. Dr.
Goldbaum said that pregnant women and babies younger than six months of
age are at high risk of complications from influenza. To protect the
infants, who are too young to receive vaccine, caretakers of babies
younger than six months should seek influenza vaccination to "cocoon"
the child from illness. More information to help young families fend off the flu can be found at http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/may09swinefluqanda.htm, the Web site of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Since the beginning of September, the Snohomish Health District has
been notified of 68 local people hospitalized with influenza. With both
seasonal and H1N1 vaccine in short supply, people are urged to continue
with personal precautions to protect themselves and their families. These precautions include: washing your hands, covering your cough
and staying home when you are ill. If you do become ill, drink plenty
of fluids, take non aspirin fever reducing medication, and call your
health care provider if symptoms become worse. Expect that you will be
ill for about a week, and stay home until you have had no fever
(without medication) for 24 hours. Snohomish Health District has begun distributing the very limited
amounts of H1N1 vaccine available here to local health care providers
to vaccinate those in high risk categories. H1N1 vaccine is very
limited in supply and delivery is slower than expected. For more
information, check www.snocoflu.com. http://www.snohomishtimes.com/Print.cfm?newsID=87 |
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"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."
-- Ben Franklin |
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Gexydaf
Forum Moderator
Washington Volunteer Joined: April 26 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 891 |
Posted: December 06 2009 at 5:15pm |
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Published: Sunday, December 6, 2009
Swine flu lingers, making traditional flu season unpredictable By Sharon Salyer, Herald Writer When people look back at 2009, swine flu will be remembered like an unwelcome house guest.It arrived seven months early and stayed — for months. It took a brief vacation in August, and then returned again just as school opened in the fall. Although this second wave of the epidemic has tapered off from its peak weeks in October, the traditional time in Washington for influenza to hit hardest — January and February — is just around the corner. The virus already is estimated to have killed nearly 4,000 children and adults nationally and sickened about 22 million people — many more than are sickened during an entire mild flu season. That's left parents, school teachers and even federal health officials asking: So what will this next “new” flu season bring? “That's like predicting what the snowfall is going to be on Mount Baker for the next three months,” said Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, medical director of walk-in clinics for The Everett Clinic. The upcoming flu season could bring a third wave of swine flu, the onset of seasonal flu, or a mixture of both strains. “That's our concern,” said Dr. Anthony Marfin, an epidemiologist specializing in communicable diseases for the state Department of Health. “Unfortunately, people have to prepare for all three.” Although the number of people coming to walk-in clinics with influenza-like symptoms and the percentage of patients testing positive in initial or rapid tests for flu has declined over the past month, it doesn't mean people should let down their guard, Tu said. “Don't get sucker-punched,” he said. “It's very, very early in the flu season, and we have a long way to go.” Hospitalizations and deaths from influenza tend to continue, even when the number of new infections are declining. In the past month, five people have died in Snohomish County from swine flu or its complications, including a 5-month-old from Tulalip. Late last week, Providence Regional Medical Center Everett had six patients in its critical care unit with suspected or confirmed cases of swine flu. “The message we're trying to drive is … even though the number of new cases we're seeing has gone down in the last four weeks or so, it's still out there,” Tu said. “You have to have a lot of respect for this virus.” Vaccination still key Based on past outbreaks, influenza pandemics typically affect about 30 percent of the population in the first 12 months, he said. So far, roughly 8 percent of the population in the United States has been infected. Some countries in the southern hemisphere, which have already turned the page on their winter flu season, report that about 75 percent of influenza cases were swine flu and 25 percent seasonal flu, Tu said. In the United States, nearly all cases of influenza to date have been swine flu, although a tiny number of cases of seasonal flu have been reported. “As far as whether the seasonal flu virus will come around, we just don't know,” Tu said. Any temporary lull in swine flu will allow vaccine production to begin to catch up with demand, a chance he said he hopes the public takes advantage of. The reason swine flu spread so quickly this year is no one had immunity. It was a new flu virus, a cocktail with influenza bugs from pigs, birds and humans. If all 200 million doses of the swine flu vaccine expected to be produced in the United States are administered to children and adults, “that would potentially prevent a big outbreak in the spring,” he said. While some parents continue to have concerns about the vaccine, on Friday, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that so far, the news on the vaccine's safety is “very reassuring.” The peak of infections from the second wave of swine flu, which began in late August in Washington, has now passed, Marfin said. That jibes with the general pattern of flu outbreaks, which typically last 10 to 12 weeks in any geographic region, he said. “The question is: Why does it end after 10 to 12 weeks? We don't think most people are now immune, so why does this wave stop?” He and other health officials worry that people will put too much stock in what is probably a temporary decline in infections, using it as an excuse to not be vaccinated. “January and February are our traditional months of influenza transmission,” Marfin said. “If you have enough susceptible people, we have a deep concern we can rekindle another outbreak. The only way we can stop that is by getting people vaccinated.” Ups and downs common Concern that swine flu can mount a third-wave attack is based on the study of previous epidemics, such as the Spanish flu pandemic, which first appeared in 1918 and returned in 1919. “If we look over influenza seasons in the past, there can be multiple ups and downs,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the national center for immunization and respiratory diseases at the CDC. “We may have weeks and months of a lot of disease ahead of us,” she said. Some 1.4 million doses of vaccine have been distributed in Washington, enough to immunize about 23 percent of the state's population. The initial goal was to get about a quarter of the population immunized, Marfin said. Perhaps by the middle of this month, there will be enough vaccine to administer it beyond those groups for which it initially has been reserved. That includes pregnant women and people between 6 months and 24 years old because they have the highest risk of severe complications if they get swine flu. This virus, unlike typical seasonal flu, has hit younger people the hardest. Many others have been excluded from getting the immunization. This includes seniors and healthy people 25 and older who don't have diseases such as asthma or diabetes. People with underlying health problems have a greater risk of dying when swine flu attacks them. If swine flu returns, its severity in large part depends on how many people are vaccinated, Marfin said. Scientists were prepared Since the beginning of the swine flu, or H1N1 outbreak, this spring, many of the details on how the virus was spreading in Washington state — and just how deadly it was — were pieced together by scientific detective work at the state Department of Health's lab in Shoreline. For workers at the lab, the outbreak of a flu pandemic was like a viral D-Day, something for which they had long trained. Public health officials across the nation generally assumed that they would be battling avian or bird flu, not a new virus made up of genes from birds, people and pigs. It's hard to remember now just how much they and other public health officials didn't know about this never-before-seen mix of viruses when the outbreak first began. They worried it could be far more lethal than the more typical strains of seasonal flu. So at the beginning of the outbreak, samples from every suspected swine flu patient were sent to the lab. At the time, it was the only lab in the state that could do the work, triggering a tidal wave of tests. In a typical year, the lab tests 130 samples for flu between January and October, when scattered cases of influenza begin to be reported. This year, from the onset of the first reported cases in the spring until mid-November, it tested 3,514 samples — and more than 2,000 of those were tested in the two-month period from the end of April until the end of June. Now, only the most serious cases — samples from people who are hospitalized or are suspected to have died from swine flu — are sent to the lab for analysis. Nearly all suspected influenza samples sent to the lab so far have been labeled as swine flu, with the positive identification coming from the virus' unique genetic fingerprint. Yet scientists are vigilantly looking for clues to determine whether seasonal flu is beginning to circulate. They're also looking for changes in the swine flu virus that could signal it's becoming more virulent or deadly. The work at the lab is part of a national effort to monitor for changes or mutations in the swine flu virus, said Troy Leader, a molecular epidemiologist. So far, the swine flu virus has remained stable, he said. “With any virus you would expect small changes that would occur,” he said. Many mutations do not alter the illness the virus causes. They're also checking to see if the virus is changing to become more resistant to Tamiflu, an antiviral medication that helps reduce the illness' severity. “That's exactly why we're concerned about it,” Marfin said. “If resistance is up, we don't have the medicine to treat the most severe cases.” There have been scattered reported cases already of people with antiviral-resistant swine flu, including two chemotherapy patients in Washington. There also have been reports in Europe of resistant strains of swine flu being transmitted among hospital patients, said Yolanda Houze, the lab's director of microbiology. “Influenza viruses are always changing, always mutating,” Marfin said. “Sometimes it really is a survival-of-the-fittest story — they can out-compete other viruses and become the dominant virus.” * * * Swine flu's toll In Snohomish County, two men died of swine flu in the spring, and five more people, four adults and a 5-month-old boy, have died in recent weeks. Since mid-September, 92 people in Snohomish County have been hospitalized for influenza symptoms. In Washington, 1,274 people have been hospitalized for flu since Sept. 19 and 62 have died. Estimated number of swine flu cases this year in the U.S.: Children 17 and under Ill: 8 million Hospitalized: 36,000 Died: 540 Adults 18 to 64: Ill: 12 million Hospitalized: 53,000 Died: 2,900 Adults 65 and over: Ill: 2 million Hospitalized: 9,000 Died: 440 Source: Federal, state and local public health agencies * * * Where do I get a vaccination? For a listing of where the vaccine is available in Snohomish County, go to www.snocoflu.com. For more information on swine flu, go to www.flu.gov. Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com. http://heraldnet.com/article/20091206/NEWS01/712069879 |
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-- Ben Franklin |
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mamamichele
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Joined: June 16 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3229 |
Posted: March 17 2010 at 8:16am |
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Swine flu information program too costly, health district officials decide The board opts to spend $70,000 less than proposed on informing the public. By Sharon Salyer Instead, board members Tuesday decided to approve $150,000 for the plan and renegotiate the contract with GMMB, a Seattle-based communication firm that submitted a proposal to do the work. The money comes from a federal grant fund to battle swine flu, which has helped state and county health districts across the nation pay for wide-ranging swine-flu expenses. Through the end of January, the Snohomish Health District has received $925,162 in federal funds for programs to battle swine flu, also known as H1N1. The health district has used these funds in part to pay the costs of organizing two mass vaccination clinics last fall that provided the vaccine to nearly 26,000 children and adults; to help compensate health district employees for time they spent responding to the epidemic; and for upgrades to its computer and technology systems. This was the first time the Snohomish Health District had requested funds for a communication program for swine flu. Although last year’s swine flu surge of the spring and fall has ended, health district officials said the communication program could be used to improve the health agency’s overall outreach with the public. Last year, the state Department of Health spent about $850,000 on advertising, communication and public education costs involving swine flu, said Tim Church, a spokesman for the state agency. The state agency worked with GMMB to help inform the public about the virus, Church said. This included a television commercial developed by GMMB that showed a slow-motion backward sneeze. The goal was to emphasize the importance of basic steps that could be taken to stop the spread of swine flu, such as urging people to cover their coughs. The state Department of Health has another contract with GMMB this year to update messages about swine flu, Church said. Public health agencies across the state have received federal money for programs to battle swine flu, and many have used some of it for communication, Church said. The GMMB contract with the Snohomish Health District was a no-bid contract because the firm is already working with the state Department of Health, said Tim McDonald, who leads the local health agency’s communicable disease division. Labor costs at GMMB range from $76.50 an hour for assistant account executives to $304.59 an hour for a partner, according to a document the agency sent the health district outlining its proposal. One of the goals of the contract is to find ways to improve communication with groups such as young adults, ethnic and low-income communities, McDonald said. “It is a lot of money; there’s no doubt about it,” McDonald said of the contract, but added, “It’s extremely important work.” The money must be spent by July 30. Board member Patsy Cudaback, a Monroe City Council member, asked if other firms could be asked to bid on the project. Because of the relatively short timetable, there would not be time to put out a formal request for other firms to bid on the proposal, health district officials said. Jim Smith, another board member who is on the Lynnwood City Council, said he was hesitant to spend $220,000 on the program. “I’m concerned we’re spending the money just because we have the money,” he said. Mark Lamb, mayor of Bothell, said he felt $220,000 for a communication program “is excessive.” Lamb suggested, and the board ultimately approved, a contract not to exceed $150,000. “I think we can get good value and good strategic advice for less money,” Lamb said. “If they want to turn down $150,000, they can make that decision.” |
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MamamicheleTN
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Jen147
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Joined: August 28 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 6755 |
Posted: March 18 2011 at 11:39am |
Washington man dies of swine fluMar 18, 2011 .
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) - A 34-year-old Camano Island man has died of swine flu.
The Daily Herald reports Will Gardner died March 10 at an Everett hospital after also coming down with pneumonia. The state Health Department says Gardner was the 15th person to die of influenza this season in Washington. Gardner was a coach and board member with Stanwood-Camano Youth Football. A memorial service is scheduled at 3 p.m. Sunday at Stanwood High School. |
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