Pasadena Public Health Urges Healthcare Providers and
General Public to be on Watch for Swine Flu

The City of Pasadena Public Health Department is issuing an alert to physicians to be on the watch for A/H1N1 (swine flu) virus in humans. While no individual cases have been identified in the Pasadena area at this time, as of today, there are 40 confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S., with 7 of those cases in California, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The illness that we are seeing in the United States currently is not severe.

“While this situation is fluid and changing, the Public Health Department has a public health response plan it is implementing and we are working with our community partners and providers to ramp up local surveillance,” said Dr. Takashi Wada, director and health officer with the Pasadena Public Health Department. “We are asking doctors that since the flu season is waning, please take note if they see patients with a high fever, cough and sore throat, who have recently traveled to affected areas such as Mexico or who have been in contact with persons who had a fever and who have been in these affected areas.”  The Public Health Department asks that health providers immediately contact them for clinical guidance on testing and treatment. 

“Public Health is working closely with our counterparts on the county, state and national levels, to be as proactive as possible in order to minimize the potential impact of swine flu in the Pasadena community,” states Dr. Wada. 

In addition, the Public Health Department urges the use of these prevention measures for the general public:

• As always, people with respiratory illness and fever should stay home from work or school to avoid spreading infections, including influenza, to others in the community.

• Avoid close contact with people who are coughing or otherwise appear ill.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

• Wash hands frequently to lessen the spread of respiratory illness. 

The symptoms of swine flu in humans are similar to the symptoms of seasonal influenza and include: fever greater than 100 degrees, coughing, sore throat, chills, headache and body aches, fatigue, respiratory congestion, and in some cases, diarrhea and vomiting. People experiencing these symptoms should stay home and contact their medical provider.

Seek emergency medical care if you or someone you know is having any of following warning signs listed below.

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing

• Bluish skin color

• Not drinking enough fluids

• Not waking up or not interacting

• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held

• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

• Fever with a rash 

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen

• Sudden dizziness

• Confusion

• Severe or persistent vomiting 

The infection appears to spread from person to person. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food and a person cannot get swine influenza from eating pork products.

For more information on swine flu, go to www.cityofpasadena.net/publichealth or www.cdc.gov or call the public health information line (626) 744-6012. The Pasadena Public Health Department will provide local updates as they become necessary.

Press Contact: Joy Guihama

(626) 744-6050