Local schools, health officials on high alert

<p>Schools, clinics, doctors offices and hospitals across North Coast went on high alert Monday for any signs that the swine flu epidemic had reached the region.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>On the first weekday since fears of flu pandemic spread worldwide, local health authorities said they began monitoring schools and medical offices.</p><p>The county Public Health Department, which acts as a regional testing lab for infectious diseases, tested 10 specimens from patients in Sonoma, Mendocino and Napa counties and none were positive, Dr. Mark Netherda, the county's deputy health officer, said late Monday.</p><p>"We are asking people not to crowd the hospital emergency rooms" should symptoms appear, he said. "Contact your doctor for treatment and testing."</p><p>Because one in five Sonoma County residents is Latino with extensive contact with relatives in Mexico, health authorities said they would post health information in Spanish at churches and markets and run ads in Spanish-language media.</p><p>"With the obvious link to Mexico, it is a major focus of our efforts," Netherda said.</p><p>He said "there have been no cases of swine flu in Sonoma County and no indication of an increase in influenza-like illness."</p><p>He said county officials are using monitoring sites at a network of doctors offices, hospitals and clinics to determine whether people who report flu-like symptoms actually have the strain of swine flu that has alarmed worldwide health officials.</p><p>Netherda said medical offices may decide to request testing of anyone who "has a history of travel to affected areas, or who has flu-like symptoms or who have come into contact with those who might display the symptoms."</p><p>Meanwhile, school officials were reinforcing precautionary sanitation measures and tracking absences for signs that children might have symptoms of swine flu.</p><p>At Windsor elementary schools, custodians were advised to concentrate on disinfecting surfaces like table and desktops instead of vacuuming floors and rugs.</p><p>County Supervisor Efren Carrillo, whose west county district includes a sizable Latino population, said he attended several community meetings over the weekend, and one Monday morning on Roseland annexation, at which the swine flu situation came up repeatedly.</p><p>"It was a concern, folks are definitely paying attention to it because of family ties to Mexico," he said. "They are seeking more information and we need to be engaging in a community dialogue. Our message is to be aware, but not to cause alarm."</p><p>Carrillo, who was a board member of the Southwest Community Health Center before he became a supervisor last year, said the clinic in Roseland would "play a significant role" because its medical staff handles many Spanish-speaking families.</p><p>"All of our health clinics will be at the forefront of this," Carrillo said. "Instead of going to emergency rooms, people should call their health care providers if they feel they may have symptoms."</p><p>An information line for the public, in English and Spanish, has been established: 565-4477.</p><p>Leslie Fisher, infection prevention manager for St. Joseph Health System, said her office issued information in English and Spanish to medical offices because "many of us need reminders."</p><p>"Cover your cough. Practice hand hygiene. Mask your cough. Stay home if you are sick," said Fisher, describing the contents of her health advisories.</p><p>She said St. Joseph distributed its supply of influenza test kits -- normally used only during winter flu months -- so that its medical facilities would have them at the ready. She said St. Joseph also is preparing its supply of surgical gloves, gowns, face masks, respiratory equipment and pharmaceuticals to move where needed.</p><p>"We have participated in so many countywide drills that this feels very familiar to us," Fisher said.</p><p>While chatter about the swine flu outbreak was pervasive at schools and offices Monday, it came as a complete surprise to others.</p><p>Passengers returning Monday morning to Sonoma County from a 10-day Mexico cruise said they didn't even hear about it until they docked in San Francisco.</p><p>"We only heard about it when we got back here, the customs people were wearing masks," said Harry Olesen of Santa Rosa.</p><p>Olesen had taken the Princess Cruise to Mexico from San Francisco, which had stops in Cabo San Lucas, Ensenada, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.</p><p>Jean Paulsen of Santa Rosa, another cruise passenger, said Princess Cruises changed the itinerary to skip Ixtapa, citing unspecified security concerns.</p><p>"I'm not concerned," Paulsen said. "I'm always careful what I touch, my hands are always clean."</p><p>Early Monday, the county public health offices on Fifth Street in Santa Rosa became the county's command center for swine flu. It was the first time the center has been set up for a potential pandemic illness, officials said.</p><p>"We knew what to do because we've been planning for this," Netherda said.</p><p>Experience with the SARS respiratory illness several years ago spurred health authorities to update emergency plans that could be implemented in response to everything from floods to biological warfare.</p>