Archive for Saturday, November 7, 2009
County jails’ precautions keep swine flu at bay
November 7, 2009
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Swine Flu Pandemic
An outbreak of H1N1 Swine Flu was reported in Mexico in April 2009. By the end of May, it had spread across the U.S., with all 50 states reporting cases.
Though crowded living conditions make correctional facilities a potential breeding ground for contagious illnesses, Kansas prisons and local county jails have so far been spared a widespread outbreak of H1N1 flu cases.
Officials at the Douglas, Shawnee and Johnson County jails said they have had no confirmed cases of H1N1, commonly called swine flu.
“We’re obviously keeping a close eye on it,” said Deputy Tom Erickson of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, adding that the jail has isolation cells ready in case an inmate begins exhibiting symptoms.
Though cases have popped up in some Kansas prisons, precautions have helped keep the numbers low, said Bill Miskell, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Miskell did not have specific numbers for cases of swine flu in the state’s nine correctional facilities, but he said that all but two prisons have reported cases. In each of the facilities reporting cases, Miskell said, the number of people with confirmed swine flu cases has ranged from six to 20.
Nationally, swine flu cases have been reported in prisons and jails in numerous states. However, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson said the agency does not keep national statistics on how many inmates have contracted swine flu so far, nor how many states have reported cases in prisons and jails.
The state is working on vaccinating health care providers and staff who work in the state’s prisons, but at this point, only a portion of the staff have received the vaccine, said Miskell.
Maggie Thompson, communications director for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said the state follows the CDC’s guidelines for swine flu vaccination and prevention in prisons — which includes recommendations for jail visitors and staff, a priority system for vaccines, and isolation procedures when an inmate exhibits symptoms.
On the state level, Miskell said the plan calls for vaccinations for all inmates who request it, as it becomes available. At the Douglas County Jail, Sgt. Steve Lewis said officials will follow state guidelines on the vaccination of priority groups.
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