Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Gov. Chris Gregoire and Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky were briefed last Friday on Southwest Washington’s coordinated response to the H1N1 flu.
Unique in the state, the collaboration puts Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties and the Cowlitz Tribe under one command and control structure to make the best use of limited resources, assure partners they are getting consistent information and assure the public it is getting the same message, allowing people to prepare and respond with confidence.
Wahkiakum County Commissioner Lisa Marsyla and Health and Human Services Director Judy Bright each spoke during the program.
“What you’re doing here is amazing,” Gregoire said after the 75-minute briefing. “It’s exactly what we ought to do. We’re trying to do what you’re doing here at the state level.”
Gregoire said the collaboration is a model that could be duplicated elsewhere and applied to any emergency.
“You’re so far ahead of the curve, so unbelievably far ahead,” the governor said.
The four-county response grew out of a bioterrorism exercise five years ago which illuminated how regional coordination could be improved.
John Wiesman, director of Clark Public Health, told Gregoire and Selecky that health officials have been in incident command for H1N1 for three weeks with the goals of reducing illness and deaths from the virus, preventing and controlling its transmission, keeping public confidence high and ensuring that people who need antiviral medications and vaccines get them.
Frequently updated information on the H1N1 response are being distributed to area schools, businesses, child care centers, medical providers and others in the region and information is available to the public. Health care providers have been enrolled in the H1N1 vaccine program, and plans are being finalized about how the vaccine and medications will reach persons who do not have a routine health care provider.
Gregoire said the state recently ordered $700,000 worth of antiviral medications to treat persons thought to have H1N1, adding to the state’s stockpile.
The governor also promoted preventive measures to stem the spread of the seasonal flu, urging residents to be vaccinated. Each year, she said, between 800 and 1,000 Washington residents die of the seasonal flu while vaccine goes unused and must be destroyed.
Selecky said the H1N1 antiviral that will become available most likely will be a nasal mist, which will arrive in Washington in mid-October.
Wahkiakum County Deputy Health Officer Jennifer Vines expanded on Selecky's comments on Tuesday.
The first batch of H1N1 flue vaccine will be in the form if nasal mist, and by priority and usage, it will go to children age five and up.
Children under age five and adults over age 50 should have shots, she said. The nasal mist isn't as effective for young children. Children through age 10 should have two doses, she added, because they haven't developed as many antibodies as older children and adults, who will need only one dose of the H1N1 vaccine.
Dr. Vines said that will the first batch of vaccine won't be enough to vaccinate everyone, shipments will continue to arrive, and health officials are confident that all who want the vaccine will be able to have it.
The health department continues to schedule clinics for seasonal flu strain vaccinations, and people may obtain vaccinations late in the work day at the health department office in the Courthouse Annex, Bright said. Because the department is shorthanded, people need to call in advance and schedule an appointment.
Region IV Public Health (Clark, Skamania, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum) now have a Flu News website with the latest information for health care providers, child care providers, schools, businesses, employers and the general public. It is:
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