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Idaho has no confirmed cases of swine flu
But test results for 12 of the 38 patients officials have investigated are not available.
BY COLLEEN LAMAY - clamay@idahostatesman.com
Published: 04/30/09
With the number of Idahoans tested for H1N1 swine flu expected to spiral upward, health officials are keeping a close eye on cases under investigation.
Information on a new Web site, www.swineflu.idaho.gov, will be updated daily at 2 p.m., Emily Simnitt, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said.
The department will not say where sick patients live "just because there are starting to be so many cases, and to alleviate any confusion," Simnitt said.
If someone in Idaho is diagnosed with a probable or confirmed case of influenza, Health and Welfare will notify the public through media outlets and offer as much information as possible without violating patient confidentiality.
In the meantime, the Central District Health Department in Boise will continue to prepare for the possibility of a widespread flu outbreak.
Idaho schools and child-care facilities should make plans for closures, according to a news release from the Central District Health Department in Boise.
That includes asking working parents to think about what they will do if their kids are sent home. Other advice:
- Enforce policies that require sick children to stay home.
- Remind workers not to come to work if they are ill.
The Meridian School District has been involved in pandemic planning for more than a year, Superintendent Linda Clark said.
Information for families is on the district's Web site. The district is taking a variety of steps, including:
- Having custodians clean and sanitize school rooms two to three times a week.
- Putting nurses on alert to look for children with fevers above 100 degrees, sore throats and persistent coughs, district spokesman Eric Exline said. Students with those symptoms will be sent home.
- Installing hand-washing stations in or near lunchrooms at all 50 schools. Handwashing is the best way to prevent the spread of disease.
Colleen LaMay: 377-6448
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