Health Officials Say H1N1 Outbreak Not Here Yet

HONOLULU -- With President Barack Obama declaring the H1N1 flu epidemic a "national emergency" over the weekend, Hawaii health officials said it now gives them quicker reaction time if there is a major virus outbreak in the islands.
State health officials said it is just a matter of time before there is a swine flu outbreak in the islands.The state's epidemiologist said Hawaii is seeing signs of a second wave of the swine flu, but not nearly the outbreak seen on the mainland.It is now week four of the H1N1 vaccines being available in Hawaii. So far, certain groups of people, including hospital staff and emergency personnel, have been immunized.Hawaii is just one of four states without widespread flu activity, but signs are showing of the virus flaring up again."There are little clusters of cases of illness that my investigators are starting to look into," state Department of Health epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said.Nationwide, H1N1 has been linked to more than 1,000 deaths and 20,000 hospitalizations.So far, four people in Hawaii, including one child has died from the swine flu, and the virus has sickened about 1,400.DOH officials said it is to the state's advantage that Hawaii is lagging behind the mainland in the outbreak, giving us a window of time to get more people inoculated.One problem is that limited doses of the H1N1 vaccine are arriving weekly. Just as on the mainland, there will not be enough to go around right away, health officials said."I hope we're not going to see these three-hour long lines and things like this, but it makes it all more important for people to understand everyone should get vaccinated who wants to get vaccinated, but everyone has a place in line," Park said. "The doses will come eventually and it will get out to other folks."Because of the limited doses of the vaccine being available, state health officials said people in the priority group will also likely expect to have a hard time getting the vaccine.They said you should work to prevent the spread of the flu by washing your hands and staying home if you are sick.
Source kitv.com