2009 September 08

Press Release: Mayor Wharton’s Statement on Current H1N1 Activity in Shelby County

The Main Street Journal Website

(The following press release is published as it was received by the Main Street Journal.)

For Immediate Release
September 7, 2009

MAYOR WHARTON’S STATEMENT

CURRENT H1N1 ACTIVITY IN SHELBY COUNTY

Monday, September 7, 2009

Today, I have been informed of the first H1N1 Influenza-related death here in Shelby
County. My heartfelt condolences and prayers are with the family of this
individual. It is my sincere hope that we will respect the privacy of the family,
even while we as a community continue to respond appropriately to what has already
become a very active flu season.

We have been planning and preparing for this flu season for months, with excellent
cooperation from healthcare providers, our hospitals, the schools and school
systems, our business community, and the media. Now, as expected, from the guidance
provided by our Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, and state and federal
Public Health officials, Shelby County is experiencing its first major surge of
influenza-like illness.

Please know that I am being kept closely apprised, almost on an hourly basis, of the
fast-moving developments in Shelby County involving H1N1 Influenza, and that I am
closely monitoring how we are all responding. Furthermore, I have ensured that our
Public Health officials and healthcare providers are accessing and mobilizing all
available resources to address this surge of influenza.

I know that H1N1 Influenza is creating a challenge for us all; because it is a new
virus and we all have little or no immunity against it, and because we all are a
little wary of the unknown. Yet, we need not panic. While I continue to encourage
everyone to try to prevent yourselves from getting sick; I also encourage you to go
ahead and prepare for the possibility that someone in your household may very well
get this flu.

For the vast majority of people, the illness caused by the H1N1 virus seems to be no
more severe than the “regular or seasonal” flu. We have been told by our healthcare
providers - and we’ve seen first-hand here in Memphis already - that most people
stay at home, go to bed, take over-the-counter medicines to make them feel better,
and after a few days get up and resume their normal routines. But today’s sad
occurrence reminds us all that some people can become very seriously ill with the
flu - even requiring hospitalization - if they have difficulty breathing, become
dehydrated or hard to wake up, or have underlying medical conditions. Persons
should call their medical providers if they become concerned, before going to an
emergency room for what may be an unnecessary visit.

In the case of H1N1, young people are actually more likely than the elderly to
contract this flu, and this has certainly been our experience this week. We have
been anticipating that many children would get sick this Fall, and that many
students would be out of school. This has already begun to occur. Memphis seems to
be leading the way.

While the H1N1 vaccine will not be available until mid-October, please remember that
the “regular or seasonal” flu vaccine is available now. I received my seasonal flu
shot last week.

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