H1N1 causes schools to close; one death reported in county

The H1N1 flu continues to make an impact in Washington and Charlotte counties, and Washington County's first death from that influenza was announced by the Maine Center for Disease Control on November 24. The deceased was between 25 and 65 years of age and had a severe underlying condition.

H1N1 outbreaks have caused some schools to close for several days. Washington Academy in East Machias decided to close last week for two days and included Veterans Day in the sequence because of a high rate of absenteeism for both students and teachers. Jonesport-Beals schools closed for a couple of days the previous week. According to Al May, district public health liaison for the Downeast region, most schools have now had vaccination clinics.

Julie Hixson of Down East Community Hospital reports confirmed cases of H1N1 in the area.

Machias Valley Christian School, Machias High School, Rose Gaffney, Bay Ridge Elementary, Fort O'Brien, Whiting Village School and Jonesboro Elementary have all had vaccination clinics in conjunction with the Machias hospital. Public health nurse Cindy Look and hospital nurses provided assistance to those schools.

Another public health nurse, Michaelynn Cecire of Eastport, reports that she, Mary Ann Wiles, RN, and public health nurse Judy Hall gave out 272 H1N1 vaccinations to students in Union 104 schools on November 5 and 6. She visited the Edmunds Consolidated School on Monday, November 9, and gave her last 20 inoculations to high risk students there. "When I get more vaccine, I'll finish up in Robbinston and Alexander and return to other schools to vaccinate the ones who were out sick when we were there."

Figures were not available at press time regarding vaccination rates for District 10, which includes St. Stephen, Campobello Island and Grand Manan. However, Val Kilfoil of the Department of Education confirms that absentee rates have dropped to eight percent in District 10.

The state of Maine expects to continue to receive dosages of the vaccine, but at much lower rates than anticipated last August. Originally, Maine planned on acquiring 527,000 doses by this time. In September those figures were revised to 321,000 doses. As of November 20 only 210,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine had reached Maine. Most of those doses have gone to pregnant women and school-aged children. The next tier of dosages will be targeted for pre-school children, adults with underlying conditions that make them more vulnerable to the flu and its side effects and 18 to 24 year olds. These young adults are urged to keep in contact with clinics or their health care provider for vaccine availability.

Those vulnerable to the flu are now being urged to speak with their health-care provider to receive a prescription for anti-viral drugs, such as Tami-flu and Relenza. Anti-viral medicines "can help reduce the duration and severity of illness," according to Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control.

The Maine Department of Public Health does have a stockpile of these medicines and has authorized Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) to supply and administer the medicines, under an emergency measure. "Use of the FQHCs is vital in order to assure that necessary antiviral medications are available to individuals in Maine who do not have the financial resources to purchase these medications," according to a statement released by Governor John Baldacci. Those clinics in eastern Washington County are the Regional Medical Center at Lubec, Rowland B. French Medical Center in Eastport and St. Croix Regional Family Center in Princeton.

Prevention of the spread of the flu can be accomplished by both vaccination and precautions. People are urged to use good respiratory hygiene, as the disease can be spread by sneezing and coughing. Covering coughs and sneezes, frequent hand-washing and staying home when a fever is diagnosed are recommended by the Center for Disease Control. On the Internet, <www.maineflu.gov> continues to be a resource for information on the H1N1 flu and scheduled clinics.