Los Angeles County health officials Wednesday warned that, given the degree of travel between local residents and places like Mexico, it was only a matter of time before cases began to emerge in the region.
“We do expect that this type of flu will spread,” county Public Health Director Jonathan Fielding said at a press briefing.
The sense of inevitability propagated even as public health officials cautioned against descending into panic mode.
Hospitals have begun testing every patient who exhibits flu-like symptoms, and Glendale Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Amy Stricker said an in-house task force was evaluating pandemic flu procedures.
“We would take the same precautions with these patients as we would any other patient with a contagious or infectious disease or virus,” she said.
Representatives from all city divisions, Glendale Community College, the school district and all three Glendale hospitals have been meeting regularly over the past several days to coordinate contingency plans and disseminate regular updates from county and federal officials.
The city also planned to unveil a website today dedicated to regular public health updates on the swine flu, Glendale Fire Battalion Chief Greg Godfrey said.
“What we want to do is be prepared,” he said.
Regular updates on the city’s government access cable station, Channel 6, would also be posted.
At the City Council meeting Tuesday, City Manager Jim Starbird said officials were well versed on how to respond to a mass public health incident, citing numerous large-scale training drills and participation in federal disaster management programs.
