Area H1N1 flu numbers declining

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WORTHINGTON — Absentee rates are nearly back to normal in schools throughout the region after the second wave of the H1N1 novel influenza spread across the region in recent weeks.

Nobles-Rock Community Health Services (NRCHS) Administrator Brad Meyer said health care officials estimate the local peak has come and gone.

“I haven’t heard back from all the school nurses, but the ones I’ve talked to are saying absentee rates are around normal,” said Meyer. “That doesn’t mean that people are not going to get sick. We just think that the highest numbers of people that could possibly get sick have gotten sick. Now, we’ll see some residual illness for the next month or so.”

In Cottonwood and Jackson counties, the news is the same. Pat Stewart, Cottonwood-Jackson (Co-Jax) Community Health Services administrator, said some athletic events had to be postponed a few weeks ago because of the large number of students out sick in the Windom school district.

“What I’m hearing is that we are not seeing large absenteeism — enough that we are having to report,” said Stewart.

Schools are required to report to the Minnesota Department of Health if three or more children are missing from any elementary school classroom, or if more than 5 percent of the student body is absent due to illness.

Cris Gilb, director of nursing for Lincoln-Lyon-Murray-Pipestone (LLMP) Public Health, based in Lyon County, said one school in Murray County reported an outbreak during the week of Oct. 19, while two separate outbreaks were recorded at schools in Pipestone County — one the week of Sept. 20, and the second the week of Oct. 5.

More deaths reported

The Minnesota Department of Health released a statement Wednesday that three more people died in the last week due to complications from the H1N1 novel influenza virus. That brings the total number of H1N1-related deaths in the state to 15, with one additional death attributed as an influenza-type unspecified death.

MDH said there were 137 schools reporting outbreaks of influenza-like illness during the past week, compared to 288 schools the week before. Two long-term care facilities also reported influenza outbreaks in the last week.

Since Sept. 1, there have been 980 confirmed H1N1 hospitalizations in Minnesota. Since the first wave of H1N1 in Minnesota, which occurred in May and June, there have been 1,240 hospitalizations.

Southwest Minnesota has not had any reported deaths from H1N1, according to Meyer.

“There were some people that needed to be hospitalized for pneumonia-type illnesses and other complications from the H1N1 virus,” Meyer said.

He said 99 percent of the influenza cases reported thus far have been the H1N1 strain.

Public health officials are anticipating a third wave of H1N1 to strike in Minnesota in the second or third week in January, after school-aged youths return to the classroom from their holiday break.

Waiting for vaccine

As news agencies continue to report vaccination clinics in South Dakota and Iowa, many Minnesota residents have been wondering why the vaccine isn’t yet available locally to the general public.

Meyer said it is coming — just at a slower rate than health officials had anticipated.

In Cottonwood and Jackson counties, Stewart said their agency received and distributed 100 doses of flu mist to health care workers, including physicians, ambulance and first responder personnel.

“Also, a couple of our hospitals did receive doses of intranasal mist,” she said, adding that a shipment of H1N1 injectable was used to vaccinate health care workers and physicians over the age of 49, because they do not qualify for the flu mist.

As of Wednesday, all health care workers in the two counties had been offered either the H1N1 flu mist or injectable, and the county has since had one clinic targeted to pregnant women, who are considered in the Tier 1 vaccination group in Minnesota.

“We had a four-hour clinic (for pregnant women) last Friday,” said Stewart. Five doses remained on Wednesday. Those are only available for pregnant women on a first-come, first-served basis.

Because the H1N1 vaccine is a federal vaccine, people may cross county and state lines to get either the flu mist or injectable. While local agencies are open to anyone, Meyer said they are discouraging people from crossing state lines to access the vaccine.

In LLMP Public Health, Gilb said vaccinations have been offered to healthcare workers and EMS personnel. So far, most of their vaccine has come in the form of the nasal mist.

“Right now we are saving the injectables for the 6-months to 2-year-olds and pregnant moms,” she said.

This week, Gilb said their agency will vaccinate children ages 6 months to 4 years old, as well as infant caregivers and older children with chronic diseases.

“We had a flu clinic in Lyon County on Monday, and Pipestone County on Tuesday night,” Gilb said. A clinic will be offered from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the Murray County Public Health office in Slayton for children ages 6 months to four years, pregnant women and those who provide infant care. Both the flu mist and injectable will be available during the flu clinic, although the injectable is reserved only for children under 2 and pregnant women.

“We are still planning to get into the schools sometime in November,” Gilb said. Their agency will also begin staffing an H1N1 influenza line starting on Monday. The line will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and can be reached at 1-800-662-2703.

In Nobles and Rock counties, Meyer said only 200 doses of H1N1 nasal mist have been received thus far. The vaccine was targeted to healthcare providers ages 49 and younger who are healthy and have no underlying medical conditions.

“We have doctors and nurses who do direct patient care that still have not received their doses,” said Meyer. “At this time, we’re really at the mercy of the state.

“The state is saying we expect to see healthier supplies going to Greater Minnesota in the next few weeks,” he added. “We’re putting together a plan now on how to use those doses.”

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