2009-05-06 P & R Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

'A ill ANOKA COUNTY COUNTY OF ANOKA COMMUNITY HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT At SERVICES DEPARTMENT (763) 422-7048 Anoka County Government Center 2100 3'" Avenue STE 600 Anaka, MN 55303-5041 Fax (763)422-6988 DATE: Friday, May 1, 2009 - Afternoon TO: Anoka County Mayors and Community Leaders FROM: Rina McManus, Director, Community Health & Environmental Services Terry Stoltzman, Emergency Preparedness Director, Emergency Management SUBJECT: HINl Novel Influenza Update Since you are in frequent contact with local residents, we want to keep you updated about this timely issue. As announced on April 30, testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDe) has confirmed that the illness of a Minnesota resident was caused by the HINl Novel Influenza virus (formerly known as "Swine Flu"). Communications in Anoka County Anoka County Community Health and Emergency Preparedness staff are trained and ready for public health influenza outbreaks. We are involved in daily conference calls with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and are proactively communicating the messages surrounding this issue. We have been in contact with various community groups in Anoka County this week with updated information. These groups include school nurses, medical providers, urgent care center staff, hospital staff, infection control practitioners, first responders, and emergency medical services managers. Residents are encouraged to log on to the Anoka County website at www.anokacounlv.us for news and information on this topic. There is a link to "Ready Anoka County," which has information in English and other languages, from ECHO-Emergency & Community Health Outreach. During these difficult economic times, public health agencies from across the country are focusing their efforts on prevention and control of this recently identified influenza virus.. .. We've placed an emphasis on providing timely information and guidance to help address the challenges posed by the HINl Novel Influenza. It is important to remember that all of us have an important role to limit the spread of illnesses like the HlNl flu. The Anoka County Community Health department is acting quickly and decisively to address this public health threat. The symptoms of this influenza are similar to the symptoms of regular hwnan flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue.