Offices will be hardest hit by flu

Experts are predicting the biggest impact from swine flu will be on business and government offices.

"We're not going to have a lot of people hospitalized and die, but it may take out big chunks of the workforce," said Carson Human Services Director Marena Works, who is responsible for preparations for Douglas and Lyon counties in addition to Carson City.

She said all three counties fates are closely linked if and when H1N1, or swine flu, becomes epidemic in western Nevada.

"It's actually a better model," she said. "It brings services down to more local control."

She said that swine flu will hit some groups hard, such as pregnant mothers and infants, but that office workers will be particularly vulnerable.

Because people in offices work in close proximity to one another, she said, some businesses and government offices could see 40 percent of employees or more fall victim to the flu at the same time.

She said it makes sense to develop a regional plan to deal with the flu because many state employees who work in Carson City live in neighboring Lyon and Douglas counties. She added that businesses and public agencies should plan ahead if a large number of employees are sick at one time.

When the vaccine arrives, she said there won't be enough to vaccinate everyone who needs it immediately.

"We have to prioritize who gets it first," she said.

At the top of the list are health care workers followed by pregnant women. Caregivers and parents of infants are also on the top of the list as are children and young adults up to 24 years old.

Unlike most flu strains, Works said H1N1 isn't as hard on seniors as it is on teens and children.

She said researchers believe a similar strain hit 50-60 years ago and seniors who lived through that still have some residual immunity.

To give the shots, she said, she is hiring 18 nurses who will be on contract through January, four other full time staff on one-year contracts and three clerical staff.

She said there also will be a mobile clinic to reach outlying areas.

Works emphasized that the swine flu vaccine won't cover the regular strain of flu.

"This will not replace the seasonal flu (shots)," she said. "You need both."

For the regular seasonal flu season, she said two vaccination clinics have been scheduled in Carson City along with one each in Douglas and Lyon.

Swine flu clinics have not yet been scheduled because the vaccine hasn't arrived. The following clinics are for seasonal flu:

Douglas County: 9-11 a.m. Oct. 17 at the Douglas High School, Minden

Lyon County: 9-11 a.m. Oct. 17 at Silver Stage Middle School, Silver Springs.