Hype-1N1

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By JOLEEN FERRIS

Story Created: Oct 14, 2009 at 4:13 PM EST

Story Updated: Oct 14, 2009 at 4:53 PM EST

(WKTV) - People are wearing masks at the airport. Worried parents, children in tow, are clogging county health departments. You can't seem to walk two yards without encountering a hand sanitizer dispenser.

Precautions are good. Health professionals say, though, that there is no need to panic when it comes to the swine flu season. And they're basing it on science, by observing how the southern hemisphere - - where winter and flu season are over - - fared.

"Down there, they noticed it was no more severe than the seasonal influenza. So, I think we can predict that the signs and symptoms will be much the same as seasonal influenza has been," said Director of Infection Control Linda Kokoszki, of Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica.

Currently, fewer than 10 people in Oneida County have the H1N1 virus, according to county health officials. The swine flu vaccine is available locally in limited amounts.

On Wednesday, students at MVCC in Utica received it in both nasal mist and needle form. County health officials expect the vaccine will be available to the general population locally by mid-November.

As far as hospitals are concerned, H1N1 hype, fueled by misinformation from less-than-reputable sources, is their enemy.

"We certainly don't want them storming our emergency departments with the worried well; emergency departments are extremely busy places and if we have many many many people coming to the emergency department they're unable then to give the care to those people and our patients who really do need emergency care," said Kokoszki.

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