‘We will be as ready as possible’

Health officials point to Florida’s doctors as our first line of defense. Nearly 100 physicians are already part of the state’s early detection team. They’re looking for any sign of the swine flu but so far, there’s nothing unusual. “Influenza is not something you can completely prevent. If it comes into our community we will manage it. We’ve been preparing for this challenge and we will be as ready as possible,” said Dr. Doug Holt, Director of the Hillsborough Health Department. Health officials are also monitoring emergency rooms, clinics and private practices. They’re also watching for a spike in the sale of over-the-counter drugs, which experts say can be an early warning sign. “We are monitoring the situation and we’re in daily contact with the CDC and all of our county health departments are fully engaged in this,” said Florida Department of Health spokesman, Doc Kokol. Experts say the symptoms are just like the regular flu: fever, coughing, sneezing, muscle aches. It’s spread the same way too, through coughing, sneezing or touching something with the virus on it, then

toughing your mouth or nose. In New York City, where the number of cases tripled within days, officials expect the number to keep rising. But they believe it’s still confined to just one school in Queens. “Nearly all of the Saint Francis students with confirmed Swine Flu, I’m happy to say, are improving and none of them as far as we know are getting worse,” New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg said. Health experts say the symptoms last about seven days. However, since this is a new strain and we have no immunity to it, doctors say they can’t predict how quickly it may spread or the severity of the symptoms. “We know we are overdue. There is going to be a pandemic, if not this time, then at some time. We have spent time preparing. So we know that if you want to make a difference, you have to act quickly,” said Dr. Doug Holt, Director of the Hillsborough Health Department.

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‘We will be as ready as possible’

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