Why no swine flu in Victoria?
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CONFIRMED CASES OF SWINE FLU
County Cases
Bee 2Caldwell 1
Fort Bend 11
Gonzales 1
Guadalupe 32
Matagorda 1
Nueces 13
Wilson 1
SOURCE: Texas Department of State Health Services Web site
Is Victoria immune to swine flu?
Despite confirmed cases in the surrounding areas, Dr. Bain Cate, director of the Victoria and three other county health departments, said he has received no reports of confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu in this area.
"I have no explanation," Cate said.
A recent rumor of two cases of swine flu at Mission Valley Elementary School are just that, rumors, said Diane Boyett, Victoria school district spokesperson.
Every week a new school has a rumor about someone having H1N1, Cate said. The Mission Valley report is probably the latest of about a dozen he has heard.
Hospitals are under no obligation to test for H1N1, but ultimately it is up to the private healthcare provider to request tests, Cate said.
The Citizens Medical Center lab continues to send samples of all positive Type A influenza samples to be tested for H1N1 and has not received any confirmed H1N1 cases to date, said Shannon Spree, hospital spokesperson.
The DeTar Healthcare System, too, continues to follow all protocols issued by the Centers for Disease Control and the state of Texas to detect and prevent the spread of H1N1 flu. These procedures include sending cultures to the state laboratories for confirmation of H1N1, said spokesperson Judith Barefield. No positive cases have been confirmed.
The health director added that the individual doctor-patient relationship is the best defense against any infectious disease outbreak.
"The local healthcare practitioners do what they think is cost-effective, prudent and, foremost, what is in the best interest of the patient that they are sitting down with and treating. They do not take instructions from Victoria City-County Health Department, the Department of State Health Services or the Centers for Disease Control," Cate explained.
"In the Victoria area, it is best that all governmental agencies let the private healthcare providers handle the decision to test for H1N1 Influenza without interference, as they have been doing an excellent job," Cate said.
