Elbert County Health and Environment is working closely with the Colorado Department of Health and Environment and the Centers for Disease Control to monitor and plan to prevent a potential spread of the outbreak of Swine Flu.

There are 40 laboratory confirmed cases of the swine flu in the United States, from five states. One patient required hospitalization. All the patients have recovered.

Human-to-human transmission has been confirmed. Patient ages range from 7 to 54.

All the United States cases have recovered without antiviral treatment. High fever, sore throat, muscle aches, possible vomiting or diarrhea are the symptoms these patients experienced. The tested viruses are sensitive to Tamiflu and Relenza.

The interventions by the CDC and state and local governments will vary by locality. Go to our Web site at www.echealth.org or call 303-621-3144 for more details.

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Avoid others with respiratory illnesses.

It is important that individuals do some planning, such as what they will do if schools close. This is a good time to make sure you and your family are prepared for an emergency that might require you to stay at home for several days.

Home preparation includes having food, water and other necessities. For more suggestions on how to do this, visit the Web site at www.readycolorado.com .

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is asking all individuals with mild flu-like illness to stay home. Children and adolescents with fever should not go to day care or school. Adults with fever should not go to work until one day after their symptoms resolve. Individuals with severe illness, such as difficulty breathing, should contact their health care provider.

The symptoms of Swine Flu in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu in humans and may include: fever greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, chills, headache, body aches and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with Swine Flu.

Severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection outside the United States. Like seasonal flu, Swine Flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

Swine Flu is passed from person-to-person and not from pigs or from eating pork.

Again, this is a rapidly evolving situation and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Elbert County Health and Environment are asking people to be alert for changes in guidance, available on the Web site listed above and at http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/, and www.cdc.gov as more is learned.