Flu fears close Camp Orikila

The San Juan County Health Department reports that Camp Orkila on Orcas is being closed and approximately 300 school children from King County and Richland are being sent home after six children and one adult exhibited flu-like symptoms Thursday night.

County Health and Human Services Director John Manning reported that 267 of the children arrived from the Tyee Middle School in Bellvue on Tuesday evening and another 36 of the children are from the Christ the King school in Richland. The children from the Richland area are leaving via the 10:20 a.m. ferry. At this point health officials say none of the Richland area children have exhibited symptoms.

The children from Bellvue will depart on a later ferry to coordinate with school buses being sent to pick them up in Anacortes.

Manning says this is a precautionary measure because of the concern about Swine Flu. At this point there is no positive indication the H1N1 virus is involved.

Currently no cases of swine flu have either been confirmed or classified as “probable” in San Juan County, although as of yesterday Manning reported that a “handful” of samples from people exhibiting flu-like symptoms have been forwarded to the State Department of Health for testing.

The County has stockpiled enough doses of anti-viral medications to treat approximately 10% of the County’s population. Director Manning said that an additional shipment of antivirals from the federal government’s strategic stockpile is expected to arrive next week.

“That should give us the capacity to treat up to 25% of the residents of the County and that is more than the number of people we would expect to become ill during a pandemic,” said Manning. No swine flu vaccine is available, but certain anti-virals have proven effective in relieving the symptoms of those who have been infected.

Manning urges anyone who has become ill to call ahead and notify their health care provider before going to the provider’s office.