A vaccine is on the way but in the meanwhile, with potentially virulent H1N1 influenza confirmed in the Virgin Islands and school opening in less than three weeks, the Health and Education departments are urging parents to stick to basic anti-flu hygiene.
“What we are advising is not rocket science," said Dr. Eugene Tull, a Health Department epidemiologist, at a flu symposium held by Sen. Sammuel Sanes in the Legislature in Frederiksted Tuesday evening. "Flu is spread by droplets," Tull said. "Very simply, we need to be very vigilant in covering our mouths when we cough — when you cough, do it into your elbow rather than your bare hand. Or cough in a tissue, throw it away and wash your hands. But don’t cough in a tissue and put it back in your pocket."
Frequently wash your hands with hot soapy water, or if that isn’t handy, some liquid hand sanitizer.
"Two seconds under the water is not disease prevention," Tull said. "Say your ABCs in your head if you have to, whatever it takes so you wash both hands, top and bottom, thoroughly."
The virus can survive on tables, doorknobs and other everyday surfaces for up to eight hours, Tull said.
"Imagine going to the supermarket and grabbing a shopping cart," he said. "The last person used it two or three hours ago. You touch the handle and then scratch your eye, now you’ve contracted a cold or the flu."
The symptoms of swine flu mirror that of the seasonal flu and include high fever, headache, runny nose, sore throat, cough, and body ache or fatigue.
If a child is showing flu symptoms, keep the child home from school until there have been no symptoms for 24 hours, he said.
"Don’t mask the symptoms with medication and send your child back to school still sick," he said. While keeping children out of school can be problematic, it is important for public health that parents cooperate, especially until there is a vaccine, he said.
According to the Associated Press, U.S. health officials expect to have about 160 million vaccine doses available this fall, with the first batch sometime in September.
"I am hoping as this evolves everybody can be vaccinated and we can avoid these ills," Tull said.
A vaccine is in the pipeline but is still undergoing testing and clinical trials, he said. Once it is in production, the Virgin Islands will be receiving enough of the vaccine to supply free flu shots to everyone who needs it, he said.
According to Health Department data supplied at Tuesday’s symposium, there have been 74 confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza or swine flu in the Virgin Islands so far. Of those, 18 have been in the St. Croix district and 56 in the district of St. Thomas and St. John, with 45 cases on St. Thomas and 11 on St. John.
Unlike most flu strains, the H1N1 strain has been disproportionately infecting younger people, Tull said.
"Based on data from throughout the United States, this has been more in the younger age groups; younger children and young adults," he said. "We don’t see the same pattern with regular influenza, which tends to disproportionately affect very young children and the aged."
Steven Webster, an inspector in the Health Department’s division of Environmental Health, said he would like to see every school have hand sanitizer at the front entrance at the very least.
"I would like to see one in every classroom, but I know that my not be possible," he said.
Sanes said that comment inspired him to give hand sanitizer to several classrooms and to challenge his fellow senators to pick a few schools and donate some as well. He invited anyone listening or watching the senate to do the same. Terry said Education would be providing some sanitizers but would welcome any donations too.
