Health Officer Dr. Remington Talks H1N1
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Daniel [email protected]
Thursday afternoon, Dr. William Remington, Kosciusko County's health officer, talked to the Times-Union about H1N1.
H1N1 has become a buzz word around not only the county but across the nation.
But what exactly is it?
In layman's terms it's a strain of influenza (the flu). The same symptoms people experienced from the flu last winter and the one before that are the same as people who catch H1N1.
There is a fever, persistent cough, body aches and chills. Some studies suggest with H1N1 there is a higher incident of vomiting or diarrhea.
So why has H1N1 gained so much attention?
Due to it being a new strain of the flu, many people wondered how much damage it may cause.
"Back in April when (H1N1) was relatively unknown, there were a lot of questions. And a lot of testing was done," said Remington.
Remington said the flu pandemic is now spread throughout the country, and doctors and health care providers are more familiar with it.
"Fortunately, what we've found out is that it's not that much different than season flu," said Remington.
"If someone comes in now with flu-like symptoms, it's probably H1N1," said Remington. "H1N1 is widespread across the United States, Indiana and Kosciusko County."
Since H1N1 is ubiquitous, the concentration is more on treating it than gathering data on it.
It's also untrue the Center for Disease Control has to determine whether someone has H1N1. Any medical center with a viral lab, though due to their expense are not common, can test for it.
The state's department of health, for example, can test to see if a certain patient has H1N1.
Remington said in-office testing is available at some doctor's offices throughout the county. Those tests however are more sensitive, according to Remington. But Remington said that diagnosing H1N1 for doctors comes down to a clinical judgement.
"The role of looking at it case by case is important," said Remington
It's also made easier to diagnose H1N1 by the fact that these cases are occurring outside of when seasonal flu strikes, in January and February.
Remington said doctors are unsure how H1N1 may mix with the season flu in those months.
But for now the focus is on treating those who are currently under the weather.
For most people the cure is simply rest, taking in plenty of fluids, using tylenol and letting the virus run its course.
Remington said it's important for people who get sick to be aware if the symptoms persist or worsen after several days. At that point, Remington said it's important for those that are sick to get medical treatment.
Dr. Remington said that like the seasonal flu, some people are at a higher risk for developing additional problems from the H1N1..
Seasonal flu claims the lives of 30,000 people every year.
Very young children, women who are pregnant and people suffering from severe asthma or chronic lung problems are more susceptible. Those people are encouraged to get the H1N1 vaccine.[[In-content Ad]]Remington suggested people should visit flu.gov to get information on H1N1 as well as getting answers to questions.
People can also visit the county health department's Web site by going to kcgov.com
Remington said they plan on updating the site when they have vaccinations available.
The health department received an initial amount of the H1N1 vaccine, and receive more sporadically, and are on no strict timeline as to when they'll receive them.
Thursday afternoon, Dr. William Remington, Kosciusko County's health officer, talked to the Times-Union about H1N1.
H1N1 has become a buzz word around not only the county but across the nation.
But what exactly is it?
In layman's terms it's a strain of influenza (the flu). The same symptoms people experienced from the flu last winter and the one before that are the same as people who catch H1N1.
There is a fever, persistent cough, body aches and chills. Some studies suggest with H1N1 there is a higher incident of vomiting or diarrhea.
So why has H1N1 gained so much attention?
Due to it being a new strain of the flu, many people wondered how much damage it may cause.
"Back in April when (H1N1) was relatively unknown, there were a lot of questions. And a lot of testing was done," said Remington.
Remington said the flu pandemic is now spread throughout the country, and doctors and health care providers are more familiar with it.
"Fortunately, what we've found out is that it's not that much different than season flu," said Remington.
"If someone comes in now with flu-like symptoms, it's probably H1N1," said Remington. "H1N1 is widespread across the United States, Indiana and Kosciusko County."
Since H1N1 is ubiquitous, the concentration is more on treating it than gathering data on it.
It's also untrue the Center for Disease Control has to determine whether someone has H1N1. Any medical center with a viral lab, though due to their expense are not common, can test for it.
The state's department of health, for example, can test to see if a certain patient has H1N1.
Remington said in-office testing is available at some doctor's offices throughout the county. Those tests however are more sensitive, according to Remington. But Remington said that diagnosing H1N1 for doctors comes down to a clinical judgement.
"The role of looking at it case by case is important," said Remington
It's also made easier to diagnose H1N1 by the fact that these cases are occurring outside of when seasonal flu strikes, in January and February.
Remington said doctors are unsure how H1N1 may mix with the season flu in those months.
But for now the focus is on treating those who are currently under the weather.
For most people the cure is simply rest, taking in plenty of fluids, using tylenol and letting the virus run its course.
Remington said it's important for people who get sick to be aware if the symptoms persist or worsen after several days. At that point, Remington said it's important for those that are sick to get medical treatment.
Dr. Remington said that like the seasonal flu, some people are at a higher risk for developing additional problems from the H1N1..
Seasonal flu claims the lives of 30,000 people every year.
Very young children, women who are pregnant and people suffering from severe asthma or chronic lung problems are more susceptible. Those people are encouraged to get the H1N1 vaccine.[[In-content Ad]]Remington suggested people should visit flu.gov to get information on H1N1 as well as getting answers to questions.
People can also visit the county health department's Web site by going to kcgov.com
Remington said they plan on updating the site when they have vaccinations available.
The health department received an initial amount of the H1N1 vaccine, and receive more sporadically, and are on no strict timeline as to when they'll receive them.
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