Immediate Release
April 30, 2009
Little Rock --The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) is reporting that there are no confirmed cases or probable cases of swine flu in Arkansas. According to William Mason, M.D., Preparedness and Response Branch Chief, all influenza tests to date that have come to the Public Health Laboratory have been identified and are not swine flu.
“We are seeing a growing volume of samples from all parts of the state, as physicians, hospitals, clinics and our own Local Health Units continue to test for swine flu in Arkansas,” Mason said. “We are convinced that we will see swine flu here in time, and we want to try to slow the spread of the illness if we can.”
Samples that are received at the ADH Public Health Laboratory are tested to determine whether or not they can be identified as a known human flu or other illness. If the sample is identified as a type of influenza that is not known, ADH will classify that sample as a probable case of swine flu and send it to the CDC for confirmation.
“In the meantime, we will be taking appropriate measures to slow the spread of disease in our state,” Mason said. “If the first case is in a school, we will recommend that the school be closed for seven consecutive days. Those decisions will need to be made on a case-by-case basis and may change based upon the latest data available to us at the time.”
Mason said that ADH will only be closing schools with probable or confirmed cases, and will not be recommending closure for other schools in the district that are affected.
“Arkansas is taking a very aggressive stance in its response to the news that the threat of a pandemic is imminent,” Mason said.
The ADH Emergency Operations Center has taken a number of steps in recent days:
- Monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for recommendations and guidance
- Developing a checklist for receipt of first confirmed case
- Arranging for computer access for workers who must stay home, so that ADH will remain fully functional
- Reviewing ADH activities for possible postponement
- Engaging in conference calls to municipal, county, state and national partners
- Working closely with infectious disease physicians
- Developing guidance for Local Health Units in regards to the use of masks, hand washing techniques, hand sanitizer, etc.
- Planning for at-risk populations
- Responding to media requests
- Sending information to DHS to be distributed to long term care facilities and daycares
- Working with the Arkansas Hospital Association to provide information to hospitals
- Continuing to run lab tests on specimens
- Providing public education through local health units and Hometown Health Improvement
- Staffing and responding to public calls in the ADH Call Center
The Centers for Disease Control and Protection is not recommending travel restrictions to other states in the U.S. where cases have been identified, but is suggesting that precautionary personal protection methods be followed.
Currently there is no disease in swine. Swine influenza cannot be transmitted in food. Properly cooked pork and pork products are safe to eat. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160oF kills bacteria and viruses.
The Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission is encouraging Arkansas pork producers to continue their normal surveillance.
Currently, there is not enough information to fully assess the health implications of this novel strain of flu virus for animals. There is no evidence at this time that swine in the United States are infected with this flu virus strain. It is very unlikely that dogs, cats, or horses would become infected with this virus. It may be possible for a pet monkey (non-human primate) and for pet swine to become infected with this new virus from a human.
CDC is reporting 109 human infections with this influenza A (H1N1) virus of swine origin in the United States. That number is up from 91 reported cases yesterday. The list of states with the numbers of people who are confirmed cases is updated daily at 11am at www.cdc.gov/swineflu.
Human infections with this new virus have been confirmed in 11 states so far.
Yesterday, CDC reported the nation’s first death from this outbreak in the state of Texas in a 22-month-old child.
The CDC has recommended that people not purchase antiviral drugs like Tamiflu unless they actually have symptoms and have been prescribed to take these drugs by their physician. There is no benefit from using antiviral drugs unless you are actually ill with the flu. Antiviral drugs do not prevent disease, and stockpiling the drugs could result in a shortage that would keep the drugs from helping people who need them.
For more information on pandemic influenza, call the ADH Hotline at 1-800-651-3493 or click on: www.healthyarkansas.com or www.pandemicflu.gov.
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