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Despite 2nd death, county H1N1 cases seen to be subsiding
By Dana Cole & Ainslee S. Wittig/Arizona Range News
The Cochise County Health Department and the Arizona Department of Health Services confirmed recently that a woman in her 50s from the Sierra Vista area with underlying medical conditions died from complications of 2009 H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) in late October.
This is the second death in Cochise County associated with the new flu strain. Through Nov. 14, there have been 103 deaths in Arizona associated with 2009 H1N1 since the outbreak began last April, said Vaira Harik, director of the Cochise County Health Department.
"Influenza is serious, especially for those with underlying health conditions," said Harik. "As Cochise County has approximately two percent of the state's population, our mortality rate from H1N1 complications among county residents is in line with what would be expected. This death does not change our course of action here in Cochise County."
Health Department disease surveillance staff work closely with hospitals in Cochise and Pima counties to track and monitor Cochise county residents that are hospitalized with complications from H1N1, she said.
The Health Department will be expanding access to H1N1 vaccine to more groups in December.
Detailed information will be available at www.cochise.az.gov/h1n1 and by calling Cochise County's H1N1 Hotline at 520-432-9410 for recorded information.
Countywide, more than 15,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine have been distributed to health care providers and the Cochise County Health Department, a public health official said Thursday; and all indications that the flare-up of swine flu infections that the county saw several weeks ago has subsided.
Private providers and the Health Department's public clinics have continued to vaccinate Tier 1 patients," said Harik.
Harik estimates the department has vaccinated more than 3,000 people.
"We've had more vaccine than people in every clinic that we've held," she said. "We've continued to vaccinate school-age children, parents caring for infants, pregnant women and health care workers."
Nationwide, only about 50 percent of eligible patients - those falling within the Centers for Disease Control's Tier 1 guidelines - elect to receive the vaccine, Harik said.
And Cochise County is no different, authorities say.
"As public health providers, we are doing our best to make the vaccine available to all eligible patients," Harik noted.
Friday marked the department's final H1N1 vaccination clinic for Tier 1 and school age children.
In December the county will begin vaccinating Tier 2 patients, and Harik expects to be able to move to Tier 3 clinics soon thereafter. Clinic locations, dates and times will be announced soon.
All pediatricians in the county who have requested vaccine from the state have received it. Harik says parents can contact their family pediatrician if they want their children vaccinated.
In addition, people are welcome to come to any of the county's public clinics once the dates and locations are announced. Vaccinations are free of charge at the county sites.
While schools across the county are still seeing cases of H1N1, Harik says the numbers are not at levels that are causing school administrators alarm.
"Parents are reminded to keep kids home if they are sick," she added. Health officials are still recommending all the usual preventive measures for containing the spread of H1N1, as with any flu.
"Repeated polling shows that hospital emergency rooms are no longer overwhelmed with patients with flu-like symptoms," Harik said. "While we know the virus is still here and that people are still becoming ill with H1N1, it is not a crisis in this county."
Laurel Kibler, RN, BSN, the director of nursing at Northern Cochise Community Hospital in Willcox, said, "It is difficult to know the exact number of H1N1 cases that have been seen in Willcox and the surrounding area. Prior to September, all swabs that were positive for Influenza A were sent to the State lab in Phoenix to determine if they were the H1N1strain. In September, the Arizona State Lab changed the criteria for submission of specimens to include only hospitalized and deceased patients."
Kibler said that in September, NCCH had five patients who tested positive for Influenza A. Of these patients, three were hospitalized and had specimens submitted to the State which were confirmed H1N1.
In October, 116 patients were tested for the flu; and of these, 45 tested positive for Influenza A, and of the specimens submitted to the State of Arizona, two were positive for H1N1, she said.
Kibler said there were fewer cases of Influenza-like illnesses seen in November. A total of 54 patients were tested, eight were positive for influenza A. As none of these patients testing positive were hospitalized or deceased, none met criteria for H1N1 testing, she said.
"Vaccination, hand hygiene, and cough etiquette remain important in preventing the spread of influenza, whether seasonal or H1N1," she said. "According to the Centers of Disease Control, seasonal flu activity typically does not reach its peak until January or February, but has occurred as late as May. However, the 2009 H1N1 virus caused illness, hospitalizations, and deaths in the U.S. during the summer months when influenza is very uncommon. So it is not known when flu activity will increase, when it will be most intense (peak), what viruses will circulate, or how long the season might last."
She added that all employees of NCCH have been offered seasonal and H1N1 vaccine regardless of risk stratification.
According to the state's calculations, Cochise County is eligible for 70,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine. Currently, the Health Department has received 20 percent of that allotment. As the vaccine is made available, the department has been distributing it to private providers upon request.
"We've had enough vaccine for the groups that we're vaccinating," Harik said.
More information
The Cochise County Health Department's H1N1 hot line and Web site are regularly updated with new information as it's made available.
The hot line number is (520) 432-9410, and the Web site is located at cochise.az.gov/h1n1.
Shedding a tier
County health officials says they soon will open H1N1 vaccinations to the next tier of people among the priority categories. Here's a look at the tiers:
Tier 1
Pregnant women.
Children ages 6 months to 4 years.
People who live with or provide care for infants under 6 months of age, to include parents, siblings and daycare providers. This is because children under 6 months are too young to receive the vaccine.
Tier 2
All health care and emergency medical services personnel.
All people ages 6 months to 24 years.
People ages 25 to 64 years who have such medical conditions as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and kidney disease, placing them at higher risk for influenza-related complications.
Tier 3
All other people requesting a vaccination.
This is the second death in Cochise County associated with the new flu strain. Through Nov. 14, there have been 103 deaths in Arizona associated with 2009 H1N1 since the outbreak began last April, said Vaira Harik, director of the Cochise County Health Department.
"Influenza is serious, especially for those with underlying health conditions," said Harik. "As Cochise County has approximately two percent of the state's population, our mortality rate from H1N1 complications among county residents is in line with what would be expected. This death does not change our course of action here in Cochise County."
Health Department disease surveillance staff work closely with hospitals in Cochise and Pima counties to track and monitor Cochise county residents that are hospitalized with complications from H1N1, she said.
The Health Department will be expanding access to H1N1 vaccine to more groups in December.
Detailed information will be available at www.cochise.az.gov/h1n1 and by calling Cochise County's H1N1 Hotline at 520-432-9410 for recorded information.
Countywide, more than 15,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine have been distributed to health care providers and the Cochise County Health Department, a public health official said Thursday; and all indications that the flare-up of swine flu infections that the county saw several weeks ago has subsided.
Private providers and the Health Department's public clinics have continued to vaccinate Tier 1 patients," said Harik.
Harik estimates the department has vaccinated more than 3,000 people.
"We've had more vaccine than people in every clinic that we've held," she said. "We've continued to vaccinate school-age children, parents caring for infants, pregnant women and health care workers."
Nationwide, only about 50 percent of eligible patients - those falling within the Centers for Disease Control's Tier 1 guidelines - elect to receive the vaccine, Harik said.
And Cochise County is no different, authorities say.
"As public health providers, we are doing our best to make the vaccine available to all eligible patients," Harik noted.
Friday marked the department's final H1N1 vaccination clinic for Tier 1 and school age children.
In December the county will begin vaccinating Tier 2 patients, and Harik expects to be able to move to Tier 3 clinics soon thereafter. Clinic locations, dates and times will be announced soon.
All pediatricians in the county who have requested vaccine from the state have received it. Harik says parents can contact their family pediatrician if they want their children vaccinated.
In addition, people are welcome to come to any of the county's public clinics once the dates and locations are announced. Vaccinations are free of charge at the county sites.
While schools across the county are still seeing cases of H1N1, Harik says the numbers are not at levels that are causing school administrators alarm.
"Parents are reminded to keep kids home if they are sick," she added. Health officials are still recommending all the usual preventive measures for containing the spread of H1N1, as with any flu.
"Repeated polling shows that hospital emergency rooms are no longer overwhelmed with patients with flu-like symptoms," Harik said. "While we know the virus is still here and that people are still becoming ill with H1N1, it is not a crisis in this county."
Laurel Kibler, RN, BSN, the director of nursing at Northern Cochise Community Hospital in Willcox, said, "It is difficult to know the exact number of H1N1 cases that have been seen in Willcox and the surrounding area. Prior to September, all swabs that were positive for Influenza A were sent to the State lab in Phoenix to determine if they were the H1N1strain. In September, the Arizona State Lab changed the criteria for submission of specimens to include only hospitalized and deceased patients."
Kibler said that in September, NCCH had five patients who tested positive for Influenza A. Of these patients, three were hospitalized and had specimens submitted to the State which were confirmed H1N1.
In October, 116 patients were tested for the flu; and of these, 45 tested positive for Influenza A, and of the specimens submitted to the State of Arizona, two were positive for H1N1, she said.
Kibler said there were fewer cases of Influenza-like illnesses seen in November. A total of 54 patients were tested, eight were positive for influenza A. As none of these patients testing positive were hospitalized or deceased, none met criteria for H1N1 testing, she said.
"Vaccination, hand hygiene, and cough etiquette remain important in preventing the spread of influenza, whether seasonal or H1N1," she said. "According to the Centers of Disease Control, seasonal flu activity typically does not reach its peak until January or February, but has occurred as late as May. However, the 2009 H1N1 virus caused illness, hospitalizations, and deaths in the U.S. during the summer months when influenza is very uncommon. So it is not known when flu activity will increase, when it will be most intense (peak), what viruses will circulate, or how long the season might last."
She added that all employees of NCCH have been offered seasonal and H1N1 vaccine regardless of risk stratification.
According to the state's calculations, Cochise County is eligible for 70,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine. Currently, the Health Department has received 20 percent of that allotment. As the vaccine is made available, the department has been distributing it to private providers upon request.
"We've had enough vaccine for the groups that we're vaccinating," Harik said.
More information
The Cochise County Health Department's H1N1 hot line and Web site are regularly updated with new information as it's made available.
The hot line number is (520) 432-9410, and the Web site is located at cochise.az.gov/h1n1.
Shedding a tier
County health officials says they soon will open H1N1 vaccinations to the next tier of people among the priority categories. Here's a look at the tiers:
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
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