|
 Officials
with the Illinois Department of Public Health reported that as of 6
p.m. Thursday, there were 41 probable cases of H1N1 (swine flu)
reported in Illinois.
The breakdown of the 41 probable
cases was as follows:
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Chicago, 16
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Cook County, 11
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DuPage County, 2
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Kane County, 7
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Lake County, 1
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McHenry County, 1
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Will County, 3
Earlier on Thursday, the Department of Public Health announced
that 17 probable cases of swine flu had been identified in
Illinois, with eight cases in Cook County, six in
Kane County, and one each in DuPage, Lake and McHenry counties. The
specimens for those probable cases were sent to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention for confirmatory testing. Illinois
expected to receive test results from the CDC within 24 to 48 hours
of submission.
"Right now our goals are to identify swine flu
cases as quickly as possible and to stop the spread," said Dr. Damon
T. Arnold, Illinois Department of Public Health director. "The most
important things people can do to keep themselves and others healthy
are to stay home if sick, cover your cough or sneeze with your arm
or tissue, and properly wash your hands frequently."
Supplies in the federal SNS shipments include more than 376,000
courses of the antiviral medications Tamiflu and Relenza, which can
help lessen the severity of swine flu symptoms, as well as masks,
gloves and surgical gowns to protect health care workers who may
come in contact with infected patients. The federal supplies are
being combined with 650,000 courses of antiviral medications
already stockpiled by IDPH. Kits for the hospitals and public health
departments are being assembled at a central processing center, and
shipments to the local sites were to begin Thursday afternoon.
The SNS supplies shipped to Illinois this week represent 25
percent of the amount allocated to the state by the Centers of
Disease Control and Prevention. Arnold said the state can request
its remaining allocation if it appears the current supplies will run
short.
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On Tuesday, Gov. Pat Quinn issued an emergency proclamation to
allow for the mobilization of state assets to aid in the
distribution of the SNS and any other actions needed to protect the
public. The State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield was
activated earlier this week and currently is staffed with liaisons
from several state agencies that are supporting the state's SNS
distribution operation.
"The state of Illinois has a comprehensive plan for handling and
distributing the Strategic National Stockpile," said Andrew
Velasquez III, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
"We've conducted numerous exercises of the plan over the past few
years, which prepared us to efficiently receive, process and
distribute these critical medical supplies."
Personnel and equipment from the following agencies are involved
in the processing and distribution operation: IDPH, IEMA, Illinois
State Police, Department of Central Management Services, Illinois
Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Corrections and
Illinois Department of Human Services.
In addition, approximately 200 soldiers from the Illinois
National Guard are assisting with the operation as part of a
training exercise. The Illinois Guard soldiers are from the 232nd
Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, headquartered in Springfield.
It includes the 1344th Transportation Co. of East St. Louis, the
1544th Transportation Co. of Paris, the 3625th Maintenance Co. of
North Riverside and the 3637th Maintenance Co. of Springfield. The
Illinois National Guard had a training exercise on the distribution
of SNS medical supplies scheduled for late May. Guard leadership
decided that moving the exercise up would add training value for the
soldiers.
Information about the swine flu outbreak is continually updated
on the state's Ready Illinois online site,
www.ready.illinois.gov.
[Text from
Illinois Department of Public Health
file received from the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
