H1N1 ‘May Have Peaked’ In Scioto County
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Ditraglia explained the terminologies involved in describing the same influenza virus.
"Swine Flu, Pandemic H1N1, Novel H1N1, and Influenza A in September and October are all the same thing," Ditraglia said. "They are all the Swine Flu. When you talk about a pandemic, you are talking about a flu outside the flu season basically. So we might already have peaked in this area."
That thought was echoed minutes later by Scioto County Health Commissioner, Dr. Aaron Adams, who told those present he had the flu last week. "We may be peaked out here at the schools," Adams said. "We get a report from the county schools weekly on attendance. As you remember, a few weeks ago there were a lot of rumors about a lot of children out sick from school, and some questions as to maybe they should close. This is nothing like it was then. I think, at that time, we had at Wheelersburg a little over 20 percent absentee rate. I saw statistics today that Ruth (Montavon RN) gets at the (Scioto County) health department, most of the schools here are well above 90 percent in attendance."
"This is mainly in children," Ditraglia said. "I've been coughed and sneezed on a couple of hundred times in the last couple of weeks. And all of the pediatricians I have talked to have also had equal exposure, and none of the teachers I have talked to have gotten the flu. So it seems to be a problem mostly with children."
Initially, the symptoms are fever, a cough and congestion, and upper respiratory distress.
Ditraglia said if someone catches the flu they are probably going to develop symptoms within a week of exposure.
Adams was also asked about the availability of vaccine in Scioto County. Adams said there is still some of the nasal mist in storage, and some 270 pregnant women received the vaccine injection this past weekend at the Southern Ohio Medical Center East Campus.
"The vaccine is coming in bursts. We do not get information on a daily basis as to what we're going to get and when we are going to get it," Adams said. "Which really affects our vaccination planning. If you follow the media — if you follow what is going on across the state, it shows up sometimes in some places unexpectedly, compared to places you would normally expect it to go."
Adams said a large supply of the vaccine showed up at a Walgreen's in eastern Ohio, and at the same time the Cleveland Clinic was finding it hard to locate.
"We don't know how much we're going to get and when. The way this thing was set up, each state gets a percentage based on their population," Adams said.
Adams said Ohio has 3.7 percent of the country's population.
A member of the audience asked if all of the panelists had received the vaccine. Two held up their hands. Mike Trapp, Scioto County environmental director, said most of the panel was waiting for their vaccination category to come up.
Also on the panel were Dr. Randy Schlegel, Belinda Salisbury, RN, with the city health department, and Ruth Montavon, RN, with the Scioto County Health Department.
FRANK LEWIS may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.
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I stopped in at Arby's in New Boston Ohio last night 11/17/09 about 7:20PM on my way home from work, there was no one at the counter to take my order so I stood there in wait.
While I was waiting I started watching the gentleman that was preparing the orders for customers when I noticed that he was handling the meat and buns with his bare hands, I could not believe it.
Well I continued to watch and he continued to prepare food with his bare hands.
With his bare hands......he placed the beef on the slicer, placed the sliced beef on buns and wrapped them.
After watching him disregard public food safety for some time I finally asked him why he was not wearing gloves. He answered that he had just washed his hands and that he was not handling the food.
I explained to him that I had been watching him handling the food with his bare hands for a good five minutes and that I didn't care if he did just wash his hands, it does not give him the right to handle everyone's food with his bare hands putting everyone at risk of a number of diseases, like H1N1 for example.
I asked to speak with his manager, he walked up to his manager to tell her, when I seen him act frustrated clinching h fist and I overheard him tell her that he had just washed his hands.
Finally after asking a second time to speak to a manager she approached me about the issue.
I asked her why she is allowing him to work without gloves while he is preparing food.
Her answer was, and I couldn't hardly believe it but her reply was " I know you probably don't believe it but he did just wash his hands.
Again I explained that I or anyone else is not going to want to eat food that has been handled by a stranger even if he did just wash his hands.
I asked her about policy and she assured me that it was mandatory to wear gloves but they have been having problems with having to warn the employees over and over about not wearing gloves.
The public wants this fixed, please!