As
I hope everybody knows by now, President Obama has declared the H1N1
flu outbreak a national emergency. (There's more about President – and
former Somerville resident – Obama at the end of this column.) That's
an important step for public health planners and administrators around
the country -and an upgrade from the "public health emergency"
declaration back in April. As a practical matter, it gives hospital
officials more authority to separate flu patients from other patients,
to set up special emergency areas aimed solely at treating flu, to
fast-track the purchase of supplies, and to reduce bureaucratic
restrictions on local actions. According to federal officials, the
declaration was "preemptive:" most states don't need it yet, but now
it's there if they do.

Late last week, the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health (MADPH) also acknowledged that H1N1 is now
"widespread" in the Commonwealth. Here in Somerville, we've already had
a few cases of flu (both H1N1 and seasonal), although we're a long way
from emergency mode. But all of the media attention has got everybody
on edge – and it hasn't helped that vaccines for both H1N1 and seasonal
flu have been in far shorter supply than the federal government
originally predicted. That's forced Somerville and quite a few other
communities to cancel previously scheduled vaccination clinics – and
it's forced us to delay rescheduling until we have more reliable
information about when shipments of seasonal and H1N1 vaccine will
arrive.

Our City Health Department receives regular updates on
the vaccine supply chain from MADPH and U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. We will reschedule clinics as soon as we have
the supplies we need. (For the latest updates, call 311 or visit
www.somervillema.gov.) We expect that we will eventually have enough
vaccine of both types to handle the demand, though those of us not in
the priority groups will need to be patient while those most at risk to
develop the serious complications associated with each of these types
of flu are vaccinated as soon as possible.

Here are a few crucial facts to keep in mind:

• Most people recover from the flu (both kinds) with no after effects.

•
The cases leading to serious complications are almost always in
patients that already have underlying health problems that make them
more susceptible.

• Since the large majority of those who suffer
from H1N1 influenza are recovering without incident, MADPH is no longer
trying to do routine "confirmatory" testing of everyone who gets the
flu. They are continuing to watch for cases that end up requiring
hospital care, but

• Very few cases require hospitalization.

•
Once vaccine is available, you should get vaccinated. Seasonal and H1N1
influenza season will be with us for many months to come.

•
Private sources for vaccines tend to be slightly better equipped right
now. If you can get a shot from your doctor, from a clinic at CVS,
Wal-Mart, Stop and Shop or from other provider – and you're willing and
able to pay – go ahead. (Just another reminder of how our current
health care system fails us: private insurance systems ration access to
vaccine not on the basis of comparative risk or vulnerability – which
would also help keep flu from spreading ¬- but on the basis of who can
afford to pay.)

It's also important to remember that, even if
you have to wait for your vaccination, there are several very effective
prevention measures that you can take immediately to protect yourself
and your family:

• Wash your hands often and thoroughly Рand use hand sanitizer if you don't have access to soap and water.

• Avoid touching your nose, mouth or eyes.

• Cover your cough, but use your elbow instead of your hands.

And
finally, the best thing you can do if you have flu-like symptoms is to
isolate yourself to prevent further spread of the flu: Stay home from
work or school or other activities where you'll be interacting with
lots of people until at least 24 hours after your fever has subsided
without the use of fever reducing medications like aspirin, ibuprofen
or acetaminophen (Tylenol).

You can visit the City of Somerville
website and click on the "influenza update" alert to find out more –
and if you haven't already done so, please also go to the website or
call 311 to find out how to pick up your free City of Somerville
prescription drug discount card. Somerville is the first Massachusetts
community to offer this discount card program, which was developed by
the National League of Cities and has already been a huge success.

And
now, to close on a completely different note, I want to report that
President Obama had very kind words to say about Somerville when I saw
him last Friday during his one-day trip to Boston. I hadn't met the
President before, so this was my chance to give him his Somerville 2009
All America City Pin and tell him how proud we are that he lived here
during his years at Harvard Law School. His reply was, "Mayor, I want
you to know that your city treated me very well during my time there."
His good memories of Somerville are a tribute to our community spirit –
and a reminder that courtesy and neighborliness make a lasting
impression. It's just great to have a President who knows firsthand
that Somerville Rocks!