Federal Officials Urge Health Departments To Remain Focused on Controlling H1N1 Influenza

Although media coverage of H1N1 influenza has lagged in recent months, federal officials are urging state public health departments to remain vigilant in their efforts to control and prevent the disease.

In response to a CDC request calling for health centers to establish “alternative care units,” workers at Stanford Medical Center have created a drive-through clinic to screen patients for the H1N1 virus.

Officials say the clinic significantly reduced processing and treatment times compared with typical emergency department visits.

In a California Healthline Special Report by Deirdre Kennedy, experts discussed the importance of public health interventions to control the H1N1 virus.

The Special Report includes comments from:

• Susan Hogeland, executive vice president of the California Academy of Family Physicians;
• Al Lundeen, spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health;
• Von Roebuck, CDC spokesperson; and
• Eric Weiss, Stanford Medical Center’s medical director for disaster planning.

Experts caution that even if the H1N1 flu evolves into a less virulent form, such interventions are still crucial to dealing with outbreaks of other viruses (Kennedy, California Healthline, 7/22).

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