For immediate release: May 5, 2009

Contact: Anne McMillin, APR
Health Science Communication
Office 775-682-9254
Mobile 702-292-4247
amcmillin@medicine.nevada.edu

University of Nevada School of Medicine offers
updated swine flu health information

LAS VEGAS/RENO, Nev.— During the past few weeks, there have been reports of swine flu in certain countries as well as isolated cases in the United States.

           As of May 5, according to the Nevada State Health Division and the Nevada Division of Health and Human Services, there have been five cases of swine flu reported in Nevada: three in Washoe County and two in Clark County.

           Federal and state health officials as well as physicians at the University of Nevada School of Medicine continue to stress that the public has no reason to be alarmed about reports of swine flu.

           “We continue to monitor our patients seen through University Health System, the clinical practice of the School of Medicine and follow the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations for preventing the spread of this flu,” said Catherine Goring, M.D., chair of the School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine in Reno.

           Those CDC recommendations include:

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

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

            If you get sick with influenza, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth as germs spread this way.

           Students at the University of Nevada, Reno are encouraged to visit or contact the Student Health Center if they have questions about swine flu or if they feel they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. The Student Health Center is located on the north campus in the Redfield Building. The phone number is (775)784-6598.

           Several H1N1 swine flu hotlines are available for the public to use to get more information. The State of Nevada has opened a 24-hour bilingual H1N1 swine flu hotline for all Nevada residents to use.   The state hotline number is 1-866-767-5038. The Washoe County District Health Department's flu hotline is available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. That number is (775)325-8140. The Southern Nevada Health District also established a bilingual hotline for Clark County residents at (702)759-4636. Please be patient as call volume is high.       

           For additional information on swine flu, please visit the Web sites for the Nevada State Health Division and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As the state’s only public medical school, the University of Nevada School of Medicine has been a leader in healthcare, medical education and research in Nevada since 1969. The School of Medicine includes 16 clinical departments including family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, surgery, and psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and five nationally recognized departments in basic science including microbiology and biomedical engineering. The more than 185 doctors of University Health System, the school’s clinical practice, offer care in more than 40 medical specialties and subspecialties with eight physician offices in the Reno/Sparks area and seven in Las Vegas. The school is committed to a best practices approach to medicine and is dedicated to exceptional healthcare for Nevada now and in the future. For more information visit www.medicine.nevada.edu.