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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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Cabinet secretary comes down with swine flu
Louisiana legislators took to the House floor Wednesday to voice concerns that they were possibly exposed to the swine flu by a cabinet secretary.
State Department of Social Services Secretary Kristy Nichols testified in legislative committees at the State Capitol Tuesday and Wednesday.
Nichols was among five state employees that officials confirmed on Tuesday had the swine flu, which is officially called H1N1. Nichols said in an interview that she was notified of the test results on Wednesday.
Nichols, who said she started feeling sickon June 9, said she was assured by her physician and the state Office of Public Health that she was no longer contagious.
“Why are you around people?” House Speaker Pro Tem Karen Peterson, who sat next to Nichols during Wednesday’s House Judiciary Committee, asked on the House floor.
Peterson said Nichols was coughing constantly throughout the meeting. She called Nichols’ presence at the Capitol “irresponsible,” particularly for a state leader.
Nichols said she followed guidelines outlined by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Protection, called the CDC.
Nichols said she believes she was exposed to the virus at a meeting on June 8. She left work last Wednesday, June 10, and stayed home until June 12, when her symptoms subsided, she said.
During the week, as others who attended the same meeting started experiencing flu-like symptoms, Nichols said she called the Office of Public Health. Like her, those employees had visited the doctor and tested negative for influenza, she said.
The Office of Public Health tested the employees Friday, June 12.
“Throughout this last week, my main concern is that I wanted to keep people well, I wanted to make good decisions, and I didn’t want to overreact,” Nichols said. “As policy makers and public officials, that’s what we should be concerned about.”
About 25 employees working at the Iberville Building, which houses the social services department, have experienced or are experiencing flu-like symptoms over the last week, said DSS spokesman Trey Williams.
After Peterson’s comments on the House floor, representatives asked questions about the symptoms of H1N1, how soon would they know if they were infected and what they were supposed to do around their family and friends in the meantime.
Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine and Dr. Jimmy Guidry, the state health officer, came to the House chamber to reassure representatives that Nichols was likely no longer contagious when she visited the Capitol this week.
“I don’t believe the secretary was symptomatic,” Levine said.
Levine did encourage members to remain cautious and, if they feel ill or develop flu-like symptoms, to stay home.
“Irrespective of where you are, who you come in contact with, the flu is spreading,” he said.
The H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, has been declared as a stage six pandemic by the World Health Organization. The declaration of a pandemic refers to the geographic spread of the disease, not necessarily the severity, said DHH spokesman René Milligan.
Williams of DSS said some of the employees who started showing symptoms last week have already been cleared and returned to work.
“Hopefully this is the worst of it, but we’re taking all the precautions necessary,” he said.
As of Monday, there have been 153 cases of H1N1 identified in Louisiana – 24 in the East Baton Rouge area, according to the DHH Web site.
The CDC reports there are 17,855 probable and confirmed cases nationwide, and 45 deaths have been recorded.
State health officials are preparing for the possibility of a more widespread pandemic hitting Louisiana, according to a news release from DHH.
Guidry said the H1N1 strain is no worse than the seasonal flu. But the concern is that it would mutate by the fall to something stronger, he said.
As part of its planning, DHH is conducting nine regional drills throughout the month to ready hospital response to a surge in patient capacity. DHH and other partners also have developed a Web-based pandemic flu training course for physicians and nurses.
According to CDC guidelines, any employee experiencing flu-like symptoms should go home, rest, see their doctor and not return to work until their symptoms have subsided.
The CDC believes that this virus has the same properties as seasonal flu viruses in terms of contagion, according to the centers’ Web site. With seasonal flu, studies have shown that people may be contagious from one day before they develop symptoms to up to seven days after they get sick.
DSS and DHH are encouraging people to remain cautious by covering their mouth and nose when they sneeze or cough, wash their hands and avoid direct contact with people who are sick.
More information on the H1N1 virus can also be found online at www.FluLa.com.
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