The following is a statement from the Metro Health Department in response to public concern over the H1N1 flu strain:

Dated May 8, 2009

H1N1 Influenza Update
We’ve been busy during the past week with the H1N1 flu (swine flu) response. Just over one week has passed since the first case in Nashville was announced, and fear and anxiety appear to be subsiding.

The case counts are increasing, reflecting increased numbers of illnesses as well as more people being tested as the virus circulates. The good news is that this new H1N1 influenza virus causes mainly mild, self-limited illness. This is a key reason CDC relaxed its recommendation that schools close when a case of H1N1 is detected.

We do need to remember that even though the illness is mild for most people, we expect it to spread easily in the population, and there will be medically fragile people for whom this virus could cause serious complications. CDC anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this new virus in the coming days and weeks. If the virus spreads quickly, any epidemic of influenza can cause strain on the medical system and put some lives at risk.

So it is still very important that we do what we can to slow the spread of this virus in our community. Please continue to take basic precautions that can slow the spread of the virus and protect the more medically fragile in the community.

• Stay home if you are ill.
• Cover your cough with a tissue or your sleeve.
• Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.
• Avoid touching your face.

What is the Health Department in Nashville/Davidson County doing now?

• We are shifting our focus from testing and counting people with ordinary flu like symptoms, to detecting any unexpected or severe impacts.
• We are working with hospitals and healthcare providers to identify unusual and severe illnesses that might be due to swine flu.
• We are tracking numbers of emergency department visits and ambulance runs for influenza-like illness and pneumonia. We also are monitoring school absenteeism at MNPS, nurse-attended visits for flu like illness, and mortality due to pneumonia and influenza.
• Over 7000 “Cover your Cough” posters in English and Spanish have been distributed in a variety of venues around the county. We continue to ask for broad, communitywide efforts to slow the spread of germs by washing hands often, covering cough with a tissue, and staying home if you are sick.
• We are receiving daily updates with the latest information on H1N1 from the Tennessee Department of Health.
• For more information about the current influenza situation, I invite you to visit the Health Department’s website at www.health.nashville.gov or call 615/340-7775.
• Information is also available at the Tennessee Department of Health’s Web site at http://health.state.tn.us/H1N1.htm and at the CDC’s Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.

Thanks for your commitment to a healthy Nashville!