Physicians see no reason to panic about swine flu

A swine flu outbreak in Mexico is worrisome for the Midwest, but there's little that can be done here at the moment and no reason to panic, area infectious disease physicians said Friday.

"We certainly don't have all the answers at this point," said Dr. Marvin Bittner, acting chief of infectious disease at the VA Medical Center in Omaha. "Could this be a repeat of 1918? I think that's what really worries people."

The influenza of 1918 and 1919 was the worst epidemic in American history, killing over 600,000 people here and at least 40 million people worldwide.




People wearing surgical masks enter General Hospital in Mexico City on Friday.Bittner said people should monitor the situation but not worry intensely.

Mexico shut down schools, libraries and some other public buildings across Mexico City on Friday to contain the outbreak.

Mexico Health Secretary José Ángel Córdoba said that 68 people have died of flu and that the new swine flu strain had been confirmed in 20 of those deaths. At least 1,004 people nationwide were sick from the suspected flu, he said.

Thirteen of the 20 deaths were in Mexico City, but the rest were spread across Mexico.

World health authorities expressed concern that the new virus could cause a global epidemic.

Dr. Mark Rupp, professor of infectious disease at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said Midwesterners should not panic.

"Stay tuned and we'll see where this goes," Rupp advised. "The story and the advice may change as time goes on."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control said tests indicate some of the victims in Mexico died from the same new strain of swine flu that sickened eight people in Texas and California.

New York City health officials said Friday night that about 75 students at St. Francis Preparatory high school are being tested to rule out the swine flu strain after falling ill. Results could take several days, doctors said..

"We are very, very concerned," CDC spokesman Thomas Abraham said. U.S. health officials nevertheless said there is not yet reason for alarm in the U.S. The people in California and Texas who had suffered with the flu have recovered.

Testing indicates some common anti-virus medicines, such as Tamiflu and Relenza, are effective against the virus.

Polly Carver-Kimm, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Public Health, said if people are coughing and ill, they should stay home. She also encouraged regular hand-washings.

"Right now our public message is just to practice good hygiene habits to prevent any kind of influenza," she said.

Not enough is known about this virus to make predictions, said Dr. Mike Pentella, associate director of the University of Iowa Hygiene Lab. He urged people to relax and monitor the situation.

U.S. health authorities for several years have prepared for a major flu outbreak.

Rupp said the flu generally is adaptable and undergoes genetic changes that enable strains to escape vulnerability to vaccines. Rupp said this flu strain may be different enough that the vaccine Americans have received isn't a good match for it.

Bittner said for a flu to have a huge impact, it must be new, which means people will not have built up resistance to it; it must be virulent, making people extremely ill; and it must spread easily. He said flus typically spread by droplets through such things as coughing, talking, kissing and handshaking.

But some strains are airborne and spread far easier. He said it wasn't yet clear what characteristics this flu exhibits.

Mexico President Felipe Calderón canceled a trip and met with his Cabinet to plan his nation's response.

The CDC said Americans don't have to avoid going to Mexico as long as they take standard precautions such as frequent handwashing

[link to www.omaha.com]