The new swine flu virus has proven to be no more dangerous than seasonal flu in the U.S., health experts now say.
But had it been more virulent, most public institutions in Fort Bend County would’ve been shut down, County Judge Bob Hebert said Tuesday.
Hebert said the county would’ve been forced to take that action out of an abundance of caution, because the only regional lab able to test for swine flu is so backed up that Fort Bend County can’t get crucial test results in an acceptable period of time.
“I know this was an unforeseen strain on their system, but my goodness,” Hebert said. “You can’t declare the possibility of a pandemic and then run business as usual at the lab.”
“If we were losing people to swine flu last week, we probably would have overreacted. We would have closed everything down,” Hebert said.
But as it turns out, the new swine flu virus coursing through Fort Bend County, 35 other states and 21 countries has proven no more severe than seasonal flu in the U.S.
That finding prompted the Centers for Disease Control to issue new recommendations stating that schools don’t necessarily have to close if a single student is confirmed to have swine flu. The CDC also said schools already shut down because of the flu may reopen.
Hebert called the apparently mild new flu a blessing, because “we’re seeing the weakness in the system,” adding that obtaining lab results is “where the system breaks down.”
“We’re totally dependent on other agencies,” he said. “We’re going to have to take steps in that area.”
