Seasonal flu in NC
This is a continuation of : Rumor of Bird Flu in NC At http://tinyurl.com/ynfves
Right now it seems that there is no Bird flu in NC and the school closings are due to some anomalous seasonal flu. Some have suggested Type B but right now we don’t know.
The idea is to allow follow up on the case without using the Bird flu in the title to avoid confusion.
The point here is that it is good to follow up on rumors and track them down.
Please post follow ups on the NC flu situation here.
Some NC schools remain closed because of flu outbreak
“(Burnsville, NC-AP) November 7, 2006 - The Yancey County schools will remain closed through the week because of an outbreak of flu symptoms.School was canceled for part of last week, but officials had planned to reopen schools Wednesday.
But there are still too many sick teachers, so officials say school will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. Friday was already scheduled as a holiday.County manager Michele Lawhern says giving students and teachers a break is the best way to keep everyone healthy.
It’s unclear how many people have the flu, but the initial outbreak hit 250 students and up to 45 teachers.”
Schools are Closed Due to a Flu Outbreak
“Yancey County schools were supposed to re-open Wednesday, however school officials say there weren’t enough staff members to run the school. That’s because most of the faculty were out sick. As of Thursday night there have been nearly 300 cases of flu-like symptoms reported….
The Center for Disease Control has a four-person team in Western North Carolina trying to figure out how this illness is spreading and if closing down the school is effective….”
Flu outbreak in Mitchell County closes schools
“There’s no school Thursday for students in the Mitchell County school district. That after 20 confirmed flu cases and the threat of the illness spreading. Officials say they’ve been in constant contact with the health department on how to approach the situation.
The Yancey County schools have been closed all week because of an outbreak there.Health officials say the Mitchell cases are a sign that the illness spread across the county line.
Researchers from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Division of Public Health are trying to assess the effectiveness of closing schools in Yancey County. They were also investigating how the illness spread.”
Funny comment- I mentioned to my husband last night if he had heard from his frined B. lately (who lives in Asheville NC) as I had heard there was a rapidly spreading flu down his way that was closing all the schools.
So my husband calls his friend, and asks him “How are you feling” — he’s got aches, pains, fever, weakness — had gone that day to see the doctor and was told he had “a virus” (unspecified)
Funny part was, according to my husband, his friend was told by his doctor he should go get a flu shot.
Yancey flu scare draws CDC
“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research team is scheduled to arrive in Yancey County this week to investigate a recent flu outbreak that closed schools and some churches.
Lynda Kinnane, supervisor of the Yancey County Health Department, said the four-person research team would help local and regional officials research how the flu spread from person to person and whether the decision to close the school system last Wednesday was effective.
“We’ve never had anything like this happen here before,” Kinnane said. “We welcome them coming.”….
Local health officials gave a total of 1,200 flu shots in the last week, Kinnane said, adding that the health department may organize another flu shot clinic for the weekend. Flu shots are also available during regular operating hours at the county health department.It generally takes about two weeks for flu shots to be effective.”
Why is the CDC trying to figure out how an influenza virus is spreading? Isn’t that pretty much a known deal? Coughs, sneezes, doorknobs — don’t they already know this stuff? I’m confused.
School closures do little to stop flu by Angie Newsome, ANEWSOME@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM, and Dale Neal, DNEAL@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM
School system closures in Yancey and Mitchell counties might do little to stop the spread of the flu, a top state health official said Thursday.
[snip]
State epidemiologist Dr. Jeffrey Engel said health officials generally don’t recommend school system closures to stem outbreaks of the seasonal flu, something school administrators had hoped for in keeping thousands of children out of the classroom.
State public health officials last week said preliminary tests confirmed that the Yancey County illness is influenza B, a milder form of the seasonal flu virus, the first cases confirmed this flu season. Another flu case has been preliminarily confirmed in Nash County, Engel said.
[snip]
But Engel said state public health officials “would never” close a school system for an influenza B epidemic.
“In public health, we always come down on the least restrictive measure necessary, and closing school is very restrictive to society,” he said.
But eyeing the spread of flu cases in neighboring Yancey County — which closed last week after about 250 children and 45 teachers became sick with flu-like symptoms — Mitchell County Schools decided Wednesday to close its 2,200-student school system as a precautionary measure, said Rick Spurling,associate superintendent.
So, the state won’t recommend closing the schools, but the districts can decide to on their own. I’m glad they did.
I am as well.
ACM 12:21
My thought is that they are closely looking at this as a “trial run” for how best to handle the pandemic when it arrives. A dress rehearsal, IMO. If closing schools stems the spread of this current strain, they may be more inclined to recommend closing schools when the time comes.
They need to differentiate between closing proactively when few are sick, and closing reactively after 10% are sick (which appears to be what Yancy county did.)
I was surprised at the tone of the article…like, how ridiculous a thought it would be to close the schools! It was confusing and troubling.
12:12…..”State Health officials say Yancey County may have the first two confirmed flu cases of the season. Officials say the first line of defense is containment.”
This sentence is really not sitting very well me with for an outbreak of Seasonal Flu.
notice that they also closed some churches.
How do we know this isn’t another coverup? If the government doesn’t want us to panic, then why would they tell us if the virus IS type “A” or the H5N1? What would the difference be between the “real thing” and what they are doing now? In both situations, wouldn’t they close down schools?
CG 12:36
Your statement totally contradicts the statement about closing schools in the 12:24 article. Contain it, but don’t close schools? Something is just screwy with this.
I can tell it’s going to be a long winter … I thought of the coverup thing also, especially after reading about the State Dept. cable to citizens in Hong Kong, but really I just don’t think TPTB could cover something like a pandemic up for long.
I’m glad they closed the schools, too. It might keep some families, who then keep their families at home, safe. But more than likely they’re going to pick it up somewhere else in the community sooner or later. The key would be closing the schools and everyone staying home, which I guess no one can really justify with seasonal flu.
The Yancey school system has 2500 students and they’re reporting 40 teachers sick in some of the articles. Assuming 25/students to a teacher, that’s 100 teachers or 40% of the teachers sick.
1. That tells me there’s probably little immunity to this strain in the population.
2. Purely from a practical standpoint, you can’t run a school with almost half the teachers sick.
Anonymous was me
How many schools are in Mitchell County? Also, which non-school buildings did they close down? Any idea how many were shut down? Hope everyone is feeling better soon.
Many Thanks,
Argyll
What happened in Yancey county has never occurred before for seasonal flu. And yet, they say they have only confirmed two cases? I’m not saying anything except this, teachers build up immunity over time like doctors and nurses do because they are exposed every year to sick kids. But this flu strain has kids and teachers out sick in large numbers. Obviously either people didn’t get flu shots because they were difficult to obtain or the flu shots just aren’t working for the strain. I think it’s the latter, but who knows? The point is-to say there are only two confirmed flu cases is really weird. How can that be when they closed schools and Churches? Schools just don’t close over “flu or bugs” they close when something like panic or fear sets in, that something is really wrong or abnormal. When was the last time a school closed in your district, let alone all nine schools in the district?
I’m not saying this is H5N1. But what I am saying is this is a little more “stronger” than our usual flu. That’s all. Seems to be easily and quickly spread. In addition to it only being middle November. I would think the windows would still be open down there. Mine are open up here in northern N.Y.
A few years back (here in VA) my children’s private school closed. It was closed due to flu over an extended holiday ( 2 actual school days).
The North Carolina school closures (due to flu) is the first I have personally heard of since my kid’s school closure. We did have a school closure ( turned out to be norovirus ) here in VA. just a few weeks back, but not the flu of any sort. Glad the CDC is on hand to sort things out, and hopefully they will report their findings soon.
This does seem unusual, but they are prudent to shut down schools and surrounding businesses to let people have a chance to get well. Hope it isn’t too serious, and hoping everyone is feeling better soon!
Argyll.
Leo7 - we’ve had schools close for a day - two days the most for seasonal flu.
Commonground: Public schools shouldn’t be lumped in with private schools when it comes to school closures. Privates operated in a totally different mode. They shut down I think the entire school district nine schools is what I read. How many days now-a week? Call me odd, but I don’t think that’s ever happened anywhere before except during polio outbreaks. The news articles are down playing and the school board is probably getting heat, but I admire their decision. But it sounded like they had to do it-no subs for the teachers available either. CDC doesn’t just form teams and go somewhere unless a red flag went up. Either the seasonal flu shot is a dud-let’s just get that out now, or this flu strain whether it’s mild or not is virulent. I to await the report the CDC makes official, but to act like this is a normal event-is kooky-it’s not a normal event.
Leo7 - I don’t understand. This is a public school. I was talking about public schools.
Leo7 - I agree with you. Not sure if the whole post (14:02) was intended for me or not? My point was I’ve only known a public school to close 2 days tops for a season flu. Not a whole week. I agree that this is indeed very very unusual.
Commonground: Sorry, someone else said a private school closed, not you. but I was replying to your comment of two day school closures. Are you from NC? I agree with you it’s probably not AF. But the dynamic here of a CDC team, the shools closing for many days is odd to me. I think the flu shot is a total waste of time and I think the CDC team was sent down to make that evaluation. As ACM said at 12:21, they know that answer. What’s in the paper about the CDC doesn’t really make sense to me.
My problem is that it just doesn’t sound like type B flu. Perhaps I am missing something here. Can anyone here educate me about the difference between A and B. I thought that B was mainly in children under 5 instead of school kids and teachers.
My 2 cents:
I see this (cdc’s involvement) as a scramble to discover if and possibly why the flu vaccine is a poor match for this year’s “b” strain flu. I have seen some articles in local sources to NC saying things like “flu shot shortage” and “flu shot distribution” problems and so on. It is possible that the vaccine is actually a pretty good match, but since this flu is breaking out so quickly and early, many clinics, private physicians and hospital systems have not yet received their full vaccine allotment.
I truly believe that it is very, very remote that this could be h5n1. This just doesn’t feel like “it” to me. I know that isn’t very scientific, but I have learned to trust my feelings and instincts over the years.
No, I live in northern NY, and will be living in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire in exactly 17 days. I haven’t been following this very closly as I am slowly loosing my mind in this move :-) I won’t be able to complete sentences once I’m moved….but that’s another thread. Anyway. I don’t know how many schools are involved in this County. But 40 kids leaving Wednesday from school with the flu seems like a lot. That is reactive. To me at least. And maybe proactive. It’s a red flag either way. And that was just the kids. They don’t mention how many teachers left Wednesday. The 9 schools you are talking about is from the first outbreak - in Yancy right? The 40 kids that went home Wednesday (was that this past Wednesday?) were from Mitchell? Yancy was suppose to re-open on Wednesday, so it couldn’t have been Yancy. I’m so sorry Leo7. It’s rough when you don’t keep up with developments……just ignore me.
One comment on flu shots - your immune system takes a couple of weeks to fully respond to the antigens in them. Not too many people have received flu shots more than two weeks ago. They may not have had time to work. That being said, this strain may not be one of the ones included in this year’s vaccine. It happens.
Both the inactivated and live, attenuated vaccines prepared for the 2006-−07 season will include A/New Caledonia/20/1999 (H1N1)-like, A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H3N2)-like, and B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like antigens (for the A/Wisconsin/67/2005 [H3N2]-like antigen, manufacturers may use the antigenically equivalent A/Hiroshima/52/2005 virus, and for the B/ Malaysia/2506/2004-like antigen, manufacturers may use the antigenically equivalent B/Ohio/1/2005 virus). These viruses will be used because they are representative of influenza viruses that are anticipated to circulate in the United States during the 2006-−07 influenza season and have favorable growth properties in eggs. Because circulating influenza A (H1N2) viruses are reassortants of influenza A (H1N1) and A (H3N2) viruses, antibodies directed against influenza A (H1N1) and influenza (H3N2) vaccine strains should provide protection against the circulating influenza A (H1N2) viruses.
Does anyone know how many schools were shut down in Michell county?
Argyll.
http://www.yanceync.net/ Yancey County Schools --- 6 Elementary, 2 Middle, 1 High
http://central.mitchell.k12.nc.us/ Mitchell County Schools --- 8 schools of various configurations 1 Middle, 1 Elemetary, K-4, 3–5, K-2, 6–8, 9–12, K-8
Ree:
You could be right—my state was in the group that had the frozen vaccines and many here haven’t gotten the shot unless they were high risk. My uncle the policeman was scheduled for a flu shot (the police dept) in mid October. They are scheduled to get them next week. So, what you’re saying is possible if there was a shortage in that area. But I would think the teachers would have built up some levels of resistance over the years—so this strain may be totally new.
Commonground: I could be somewhat bonkers since I’ve been called in to work more often than norm because of staff calling in sick. I thought Yancey schools were still closed according to post at 12:19. That would make two school districts.
We shouldn’t be too surprised, we knew this was going to be a rough flu season. The comments on the type B strain by Dennis C is interesting too. Supposedly last years flu was caused by a B strain and there was no protection from it in the seasonal vaccine. We were told last year type B is a mild strain, that it doesn’t hit you like a mack truck. People recovered faster etc. It would be interesting for someone who has this B strain 2006 Fall to describe it. Is it a mack truck or a red wagon feeling? Maybe it’s mild but very infectious.
Does anyone know how reliable FluWatch.com is? They are reporting on their U.S. map a “watch” for zipcode 37865. This is Seymour, TN which is on 441 between Knoxville and Sevierville in Sevier County. I haven’t been able to find any reports of flu in that area. That area has a high concentration of tourists and with the Thanksgiving holidays coming on if there is flu of any kind it could spread like wildfire. If anyone hears anything would appreciate them posting it here. We are headed to Swain county in NC for the holidays and I am getting a little uneasy about going.
No neighboring states having problems? Last year I had a flu shot, did get the varient that was hitting people in California and elsewhere. Just a red wagon, but I did get pneumonia in my left lobe afterwards, that one a mack truck. So just because you get a light case of flu doesn’t mean your problems are over. Did get the Pneumovax 23 about five years before, and got another dose a week ago.
In regards to a coverup. Not sure this would be easy for too long in this day and age. But, those that read Barry’s The Great Influenza will recall that there was no mention of thousands dying as the government didn’t want anything said that would hurt moral during war time. If memory serves, there was nothing in the papers until the 3rd wave out in San Fran, but I could be wrong about that.
morale….duh.
I know everyone is uneasy about the flu and I agree this outbreak is abnormal. However, I’d like to make a couple of points that might help.
ONE- year before last (O4/05) several schools in Kentucky/Tennessee shut down for flu in DECEMBER, for up to a week-our local school system was closed a solid week. (Nine contiguous days.) It does happen.
Also, churches are independant and close on their own. When we have bad weather local churches shut down pretty quickly. In the rural South, like N.Carolina, there are a gadzillion small churches- Twenty churches could shut down and that would just be a drop in the bucket. Plus many rural churches tend to have a higher elderly demographic-who would be more at risk for flu. I can see those shutting down very quickly.
TWO- just because you have the flu dosn’t nessasarily mean that flu case gets reported. Last March my daughter got the flu and missed several days of school. I treated her myself at home and did NOT go to the Doc. I did call and get medical advice-and part of that advice was unless she was really really sick or was showing signs of dehydration I should just keep her home. So that would be one case of flu NOT reported to officials. I can easily see where many people would be out-yet only a handful of “Confirmed” cases.
I’m concerned about this, yes-but not yet alarmed.
I bought clear plastic gloves and have them on-hand for use in public. I usually wear one opening and closing doors, ATM’s and also check out aisles. I use my own pen to sign the receipts and also bring Clorox Everyday spray ( small bottle) to wash off handles on carts before use. I steer clear ( as much as possible!) of coughing people — and you know, that seems to going around.
These are small things I hope can help cut down on the flu. Hoping North Carolians are feeling much better soon!
Green Mom:
While some schools may have closed for flu. The entire school system in Yancey closed. Elementary, middle and high. It was just nine schools true, but it was all the schools in that county. In other words, the entire school system in one county went down.
While not every kid goes to a doctor as you stated-there were several THOUSAND kids effected. That’s why just two cases seems odd, that’s all I’m saying odd. BTW, I’m not alarmed, I’m confused.
I found the latest in CDC WEEkly Reports ending Nov 6 prior to the school closings. As you can see from the map 3/4 way down North Carolina is the only regional hot spot. the last test they did, seemed to indicate the seasonal flu vacc was on target. So, Either the shots were duds, they didn’t get the shots, or virus mutated out of the vaccine mix, or something new popped up.
Sorry here’s the url for above comment: http://tinyurl.com/bfptu
We only have three schools in our tiny district (actually we share a high school with the next town over which is very small as well) and they have NEVER closed school for anything, even when a bad stomach bug was going around and there were classes with 6 kids in it and kids puking all over the place. While I doubt it’s H5N1 either 1) it’s a very bad strain of seasonal flu that residents haven’t been exposed to before (which is always possible. I remember S. Africa got hammered by a bad strain earlier this summer) 2) TPTB are overly cautious 3) parental pressure to close 4) a combination of all.
Just as an aside, a friend of mine returned from a trip to Iowa two weeks ago with the worst viral bug he has ever had. Being a tough guy he hasn’t gone to the doctor, but in all the years I’ve known him I’ve never seen him so sick. Symptoms: classic respiratory flu. He, himself, refers to it as the most horrible illness he’s ever had. Whatever this (or that) virus is, it is on the move.
Commonground- Your windows are still open? Wow! we’ve been using the heat for a couple of weeks now. Guess that would be my fault. A slight drop in the temp sends my running for my thermals!
Here’s a pretty good report. Two officially confirmed cases early, but on Oct. 26 rapid-result flu tests (which aren’t ‘official’) showed 85 children and 20 adults likely had the flu. Notice that this report is dated Nov 2. --- http://www.wral.com/apncnews/10227363/detail.html
cottontop - no I just opened them up today for an hour or so, we’ve been using heat also. I don’t get cold outside until it’s in the 20′s.
I’m ready for spring.
LOL!
I know this will not help but I remember reading somewhere about a flu strain that was very bad and did not get into this years flu shot, as it started late sokmewhere. That is all I can remember,but I swear I read that I thought it was on wiki. Does anyone remember anything like this
Funny story to end my week at work. The guy who sits in the cube next to me just left. He told me to have a good weekend and I said the same to him. I kiddingly (is that a word?) told him to not go to the mountains this weekend, as he is an avid hiker. He laughed and told me he actually was going. I told him to stay away from Yancy county. He said he was going to Burnsville to Mt. Mitchell (highest peak east of the Mississippi) … guess what… it is in Yancy county. He is going with the outdoor club, so I told him to avoid eating at the local greasy spoon. He said he would also make sure they gas the cars in a different county.
I had not make the connection of Mt. Mitchell with Yancy county. It is a fairly popular tourist attraction. This flu should be all over the mountains and piedmont of NC in the next couple of weeks… CRAP!!!
Thanks David - be careful next week at work…..
Leo 7- at 16–28 I had just assumed it WAS the entire system- Here, if ONE school closes, they shut down the entire COUNTY. Of course we just have five schools in the entire county, but even in surrounding school systems they rarely shut down a single school, unless its something physical with that one school-say, high winds damaged a roof.
Southern Mountain Rural school districts are much different than Eastern City school districts-I can’t comment on west o’ Chicago Districts. True life example- One Mom I know teaches at one elemntary school-her sister at the second school and sis-in law at the third. Her kids (five) are divided between the two secondary schools. They all go to Grandma’s (A retired school teacher) for Sunday dinner where Grandpa, a retired, but still doing part time substitiute teaching, has a cold-or is it flu? He’s been in three different schools that week. A brother in law sits on the school board and sees his extended family with flu. Its not his call to shut the schools but he’s got plenty of influence Thats ONE family here- theres probably TEN or more such familiy systems-(ours used to be that way.)Practically everyone in this county is related to each other somehow. Then they go to Church, go to Basketball games in a crowded hot packed gym. I was at a Christmas Pagent rehersal the other night where a family came in dripping/coughing sneezing-straight from the Docs! It was ok, you see because they had gotten a penicillian shot. There was no thought about whether they were still contagous or not. The kids were in two different schools, and HAD BEEN AT SCHOOL that morning before going to the Doctors office.
Second- are you sure there were several thousand kids affected? We certainly don’t have thousands of kids in our county. We have maybe, being generous, a thousand kids in the entire county. It would take less than a hundred sick kids to shut down the entire county system. Probably only half of those come from families with sufficent health insurance to be able to afford to go to the doctors office (Again, I’m being generous) and even so its pricey -think of the mom with five kids-if co-pays are twenty a pop, plus prescriptions, your easily talking a couple hundred bucks on a school teachers salery- and she’s got insurance!
Even though theyve been pushing getting a flu shot-most people I know have not gotten one- in fact, Ive been teased for insisting on my family getting theirs. Old people get flu shots. (Their words, not mine) Many many people simply can not afford them. And besides, many of these countys don’t have a handy Krogers or CVS or whatever. Its a solid hours drive for me to go to Krogers-I don’t even know where a CVS Pharmacy is. Theres no way folks are going to take off time from their low paying factory jobs to shell out thirty/fifty bucks for flu/pnumovax.
My guess is most of Yancy County didn’t get the flu shot.
“Love Texas – at 17:26 I know this will not help but I remember reading somewhere about a flu strain that was very bad and did not get into this years flu shot, as it started late sokmewhere. That is all I can remember,but I swear I read that I thought it was on wiki. Does anyone remember anything like this “
As I recall, there was a nasty strain of H3N2 that did not make it into the seasonal vaccine in the Southern Hemisphere. South Africa had a particularly bad time with it. I don’t know if that strain is covered in the Northern Hemisphere vaccine or not. Anyone?
Looks like I had an “oops” with my name, there.
Green Mom – at 17:36
I have been on both school systems’ sites today. Both systems have over 2000 students. Both counties closed all their schools. I believe Yancey closed more as a result of so many teachers being sick. Mitchell seemed to be more of a ‘proactive’ (I really hate that word) response to try to see if they could prevent outbreak. Yancy has been closed since Nov. 2. Mitchell closed yesterday (Nov 9th) since they were going to be out today anyway.
As far as the CDC goes, I agree with assertions from others above in that I think they are here to observe to see if closing schools helps prevent the spread. I personally don’t see that it will prevent the spread, just drag it out over a longer period of time… just my 2 cents worth…
Green Mom: Read David’s post at 17:06. Article lists numbers of kids and how many went in one day to a doctor. I’ve never heard of an entire school system closing down, until I read this thread. There are 60 schools in my district. If it closes down, that would make national news.
Love Texas – at 17:26….Yes, I remember. There were warnings in New Zealand and Australia for a Especially Harsh Flu Season. Perhaps it was mid Sept.
I sure do wish I had my copy of Barry’s book right now. Didn’t a bad bug, but non-lethal appear about six months before all hell let loose?
You know, the timing on this outbreak is really lousy. In two weeks, everyone in the nation is going to scatter everywhere ELSE in the nation. Thanksgiving is the biggest travel week of the year.
CDC puts rapid N.C. flu outbreak under microscope
Burnsville, N.C. — As Paul Edelson, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, headed into the Health Department building in this Black Mountain town, he started to open the door for a woman on crutches.
“Wait,” she told him. She pulled out a Clorox wipe and swished off the door handle.
Dusty Beam, 23, was coming in to get a flu shot. Edelson heads a CDC team investigating an early and fast-moving outbreak of seasonal influenza that has swept the area, infecting mostly youngsters at first and forcing closure of the Yancey County and Mitchell County school systems. The episode is an epidemiologist’s dream: a microcosm of how flu spreads and its impact on a community.
[snip]
Lab tests have confirmed the North Carolina outbreak is a run-of-the-mill influenza B virus, which is generally mild, with fever, body aches and dry cough. Most patients were well within four to five days, health officials said, although four children were hospitalized.
At week’s end it had not been determined whether the particular strain is covered by this year’s flu vaccine; local health officials who complained of not getting any vaccine during October scrambled last week to offer shots as the illness began to affect more adults.
[snip]
The researchers will ask about child care, missed work and forfeited pay to get an idea of what it cost families to have their children out of school. They’ll also check on what the children did outside school — if they gathered in groups.
If officials consider closing schools in case of a pandemic, said Edelson, “it would seem prudent to understand the complications we’re introducing into people’s lives.”
The researchers also will look at which children got sick and when, and whether there were classes or bus routes in which the illness seemed to occur first and spread. And, by looking at doctor visits during the outbreak, they will try to learn if closing the schools helped to curb the spread of the disease.
North Carolina Health Department officials said school closings are not recommended by the state and were probably not necessary, from an infection-control standpoint. “By the time the absentee rate reaches 5 or 10 percent, school closure is ineffective,” said Dr. Jeff Engel, North Carolina’s state epidemiologist.
By week’s end, the number of sick children seemed to be down, but doctors were reporting more adults sick with flu-like symptoms, said Lynda Kinnane of the Yancey County Health Department.
[snip]
Few residents in Yancey had gotten their yearly flu shots when the outbreak started, thanks to delays in vaccine shipments. Despite a record number of flu shots being produced and distributed this year — 110–115 million doses — production delays have left some communities and doctors’ offices across the country without vaccine.
CDC officials said people sickened by Influenza B are still at risk of getting sick this flu season with Influenza A.
“That’s why it’s still important to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Jeanne Santoli, CDC’s deputy director of immunization services.
This is a chance for them to study how it will spread, without the emotional toll of people dying around them. I hope these folks get well quickly, and I’m sorry for their discomfort. I am relieved that CDC is there, though. Let’s hope they come away with something useful.
I think the above article (by Gayle White and Allison Young) was very well written. I’ve read so many clueless flu related articles lately. This one seems to have been written by folks who actually understand some major pandemic flu issues.
I have been checking the “rsoe Havaria map all day, and I just noticed they have taken the epidemic Icon off of the map, which is reall strange, as it was there all day. I think Govt. watches all these forum pages, and changes news stories accordingly. “ “ epidemic in N. Carolina, and So. Carolina
So the CDC is there to:
1. Gather baseline data to be used in a pandemic model on school closure and it’s financial and social impact.
2. Identify the B strain to see if it was included in this years Vax
I don’t think it is unusual for CDC to be involved. In fact, it is epidemiological protocol. It is a difinite “outbreak” that needs serious investigation.
“North Carolina Health Department officials said school closings are not recommended by the state and were probably not necessary, from an infection-control standpoint. “By the time the absentee rate reaches 5 or 10 percent, school closure is ineffective,” said Dr. Jeff Engel, North Carolina’s state epidemiologist”.
This is the same Doc who said a year ago if the BF went pandemic the mortality rate would not be as high as the 1918 pandemic “because we have antibiotics”. Of course he did not realize I guess that Asia today has antibiotics and antivirals still the BF mortality rate is above 50%! Furthermore so to take the above statement to it’s logical conclusion when the absentee rate is 25% we still keep the schools open because it is ineffective? HUH? So when do we close schools? When the absentee rate is 1%? Or is that too low?
For those not familiar with the general area that Yancey and Mitchell counties are located in, this region is a very popular area for holiday tourists. Asheville has the Biltmore House, which is a privately owned mansion and vinyard that is decorated for the holidays and draws thousands of visitors from surrounding states during this time. This area of NC also offers the only gambling casino in several states and is in Cherokee, NC on the Indian Reservation and has thousands of folks visiting the slot machines with dirty little hands, and also joins TN to offer Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg for the holiday lights (and Dollywood) that also draws thousands of folks from November 4th through New Year’s. What a rich environment to just keep this bug flowing and going home to a state near you…..
ICP – at 10:01 Based on what you are saying, two areas to watch. First the big truck stops in the area. Lots of people out sick, the truckers have it and are moving it around the country. The other area would be Tri-Cites airport in Johnson City TN and of course Asheville Airport. If the wait times to check in go real high (may be able to get that off of the TSA public site) that MAY be an indicator that they have fewer screeners on duty. Just something to watch as this bug spreads out.
Anon_451 – at 10:11
Asheville aiport Never has wait times. Very few people fly in or out of there. I would be surprised if there is more than 600 a day total fly in and out. The McDonalds down the street would be a better barometer.
bump
any word on this?
I saw yesterday where many of these cases (80+) had been typed as A - no subtype available - as opposed to the B strain which we heard initially.
Anyone know anything about this, or about whether schools in Yancey and adjacent counties have re-opened?
I think it’s too soon for this to fall off our radar screens.
I have not seen much more about NC schools. The last I hear was round the 11th- it was type B, children get well in about 5 days and 4 were hospitalized.
Notice there is something also going on in Atlanta,Ga. - In CDC’s backyard. Not sure if it is related or not.
Mysterious Illness Sickens Floyd County Students “ATLANTA (FOX5) — Floyd County authorities are investigating a mysterious illness that has sickened more than 100 students at Midway Primary School.”
http://tinyurl.com/y3au3p
clawdia @12:01
Mitchell, and Yancey schools re-opened Monday 11/13.
That’s odd about the Atlanta school. We had a simliar event with 150 + students/teachers out in a Virginia school in October. It turned out to be norovirus. There was no conclusive idea where it came from, though. Hope Atlanta fares well and those that are ill are feeling better soon!
Argyll.
This is next door, in TN.
The Wayne County School District shut its doors Wednesday after hundreds of children and teachers have called in sick.
Student and teacher absences have been on the rise since last week, but when that number jumped up to 20 percent, the district took action.
The district was having problems finding available substitutes for flu-struck teachers, and 320 students called in sick Tuesday.
One local doctor said this was the worst instance of the flu he had ever seen. Dr. Joe Hall recommended closing the schools.
They have now closed the schools in at least one neighboring Tennessee county.
And still no CdC report? I don’t think this B strain is in the vaccine. Has anyone seen this verified one way or the other?
I just checked the CDC “WEEKLY REPORTS” and guess what? No report since November “4″ Now, what’s going on? They named it weekly reports, not me. They are almost two full weeks behind. No way can we expect to monitor flu status USA, like this.
Note to CDC: Are you people out with the flu?
Leo7 – at 18:07
Notice that the CDC Nov 4 reports have about double the “unknown type A” flu cases as the weeks before. Yes, the type B increased but unknown A also increased.
Yes, I did notice it and that’s why I planned to watch the weekly reports. They have dropped the ball on their reports to the public and it’s not a good example of our tax dollars at work. The unknown A is very troublesome, they never exactly define why it’s called that. Is is totally new or are the tests partialy inclonclusive? The only thing we can surmise about what’s going is it’s not fatal, and with the recent news I guess that’s a good thing. In any case, my feeling is the seasonal vacc isn’t performing as hoped.
Leo7 - ditto on the seasonal vac not being effective. We are all getting our flu shot Saturday morning…..for whatever it’s worth.
Commonground
Don’t forget to ask for a PPV if you can get it.
Oh! What does that stand for again? Pnemonia…..? If they ask? Don’t want to make a complete fool of myself?
Posted by Mullinchicken @ CE.
http://tinyurl.com/y74gtf
Mystery Illness Sweeps Through School
POSTED: 5:18 pm EST November 17, 2006
FLOYD COUNTY — For several days this week, half of the students at a local elementary school have been out sick after a mystery illness swept through. Now, one kindergartner is in critical condition at the hospital.
Health officials now say the mysterious illness seems to be pointing to signs of a flu outbreak at Midway Elementary School in Rome.
A 5-year-old boy is in critical condition on a ventilator at a hospital and that has Floyd County parents very nervous. School officials tell Channel 2 they are not convinced the sick boy and the illness at the school are directly related. But public health officials say this is something they are watching very closely.
“The child who was a student at Midway Primary School here in Floyd County and was carried to a hospital in Chattanooga yesterday with respiratory distress, has been placed on a ventilator and today seems to be doing okay,” said Logan Floyd with the Northwest Georgia Public Health Department.
The illness sweeping through the elementary school has cut the school population in half. Most of the students complained of flu-like symptoms including nausea, some vomiting and a fever.
The school went on a cleaning spree and began to disinfect all surfaces to try and combat the spread of the illness.
To health officials the illness remains a mystery and the testing continues. But they all signs are starting to point to an intense outbreak of the flu.
“…We suspect it may be the flu but we don’t have any conclusive tests to indicate that yet,” said Floyd.
Parents of children who are showing flu-like symptoms are urged to take their children to the doctor. Officials say the young child in the hospital is improving.