On H1N1 (twitter post of 7/1/09)

All of the senior, local government officials in the Washington area meet monthly to share info and collaborate. Much of our work since 9/11 has focused on homeland security and emergency management. Among many issues in our monthly meeting this week was an update on H1N1. The recurrent message from all of the public health professionals is that the media have greatly overblown H1N1; however, all flu strains are serious and we must perpetually take basic precautions: wash hands, sneeze & cough into our sleeves (not hands), and stay home when we’re are sick. While H1N1 is a pandemic – i.e. it’s all over the world – it is no more virulent than typical flu strains that result in thousands of deaths each year. This does not mean that we are not at risk of a virulent pandemic – H1N1 could morph into such; and, this is always a risk. Bottom-line: always be prepared.

For more information, go to www.arlingtonva.us