Howard County health officials have not yet encountered any cases of swine flu, but they are already preparing for what could happen when flu season returns in the fall.

Dr. Peter Beilenson, the county’s chief health officer, said flu viruses typically disappear over the summer, as they do not survive well in hot, humid weather.

“The thing that’s going to be of interest is to see if it (swine flu) comes back in the fall and if it does, how severe it is,” he said.

Health officials will be watching the southern hemisphere this summer to see what the swine flu virus does there, because it could be a harbinger of what to expect later this year when cooler temperatures return.

The department is reviewing plans about how to respond to everything from a small outbreak of the virus to one involving 5,000 or more people, Beilenson said.

More than 20 tests have been conducted at a state medical lab for the presence of swine flu in Howard County, but all have turned up negative, Beilenson said Tuesday. Even if swine flu is confirmed in the county, it does not mean people need to panic, Beilenson said.

“The bottom line message is this seems to be, for a week now, a mild to moderate version of seasonal flu, but off-season,” he said, adding that he sees no reason for residents to cancel gatherings, close schools or wear masks.

The county Health Department has been holding daily meetings to discuss preparations.

The department has received only a handful of calls from people asking about swine flu, Beilenson said.

The basic symptoms are a fever of 100 degrees or more, sore throat, coughing, body aches and fatigue, along with recent travel to places where swine flu has been confirmed, Beilenson said.

Most healthy adults who contract the flu won’t even need anti-viral medication, as it tends to be used only in severe cases, typically involving very young or elderly people or those with chronic health conditions. The county will not be stockpiling additional supplies of the medication, because the state already has a large supply that can be made available if needed, Beilenson said.

The county has an updated information line at 410-313-6503 with the latest developments and also is posting information on its Web site. The Health Department is updating the information on its Web site frequently, including adding information aimed at addressing questions from child-care providers and adult day-care providers, Beilenson said.

Staff writer Jennifer Broadwater contributed to this story.

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user comments (1)

user beatendowntaxpayer says...

Rewrite: HoCo health department head Dr. Peter Bielensen, in a never-ending quest to keep his name in the media in preparation for his upcoming political campaign, told his obliging media that the swine flu may come back in the fall. Or it may not. There's absolutely no scientific or medical evidence to support this theory either way, but when liberals speak around here, mindless reporters fall all over each other to write it down and publish it, no matter what. Meanwhile, we'd like to report that County Executive Ken Ulman announced that the economy may get better. Or it may not. One or the other, for sure.

Posted 12:53 AM, 05.07.09 | Permalink