H1N1 Case Confirmed - Testing and Reporting Process
San Juan Basin Health Department received confirmation for another positive H1N1 test in La Plata County. The individual is a 48 years old male who was hospitalized, and does have underlying health conditions. He has been released from the hospital.
Cases are not counted as an official H1N1 case unless there is a positive state lab confirmed test. These tests are only requested if a person is hospitalized with flu-like symptoms. As the number of hospitalized cases will likely be increasing, the CDC has recently recommended that hospitals send a maximum of only ten tests for H1N1 to the state lab each month.
“We know H1N1 is here,” said Lynn Westberg, Director. “At this point in the flu season, if someone is experiencing flu-like symptoms, it’s likely the H1N1 flu strain. So people don’t need to be tested. Community members should proceed as if they know it is around and use the basic health precautions we have all committed to memory.” These include: wash your hands frequently; keep your hands away from your face; cover your sneezes and coughs with your sleeve (not your hand); and avoid others with respiratory illnesses; and stay home if you’re ill – especially if you have a fever over 100 degrees and stay home 24 hours until the fever has left.
San Juan Basin Health Department is working with Mercy Regional Medical Center, some local healthcare practices, School District 9R, Bayfield and Pagosa Springs school districts to monitor the level of H1N1 activity. This surveillance project will allow us to identify if there is an outbreak in a certain population and see potential trends in the how the virus is spreading in our community.
Since July 21, there have been seven tests of hospitalized patients in La Plata County sent to the state lab for H1N1 testing. Of those, four were positive including this latest case.
For more information, visit www.sjbhd.org
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