'The anxiety level can go down. This is flu'
By Kim Quintero KVAL NewsTry flipping through any news station or browsing through any Web site without swine flu headlines catching your eye.Swine flu has become a household name as the cases continue to rise. Monday afternoon, health officials confirmed four people are infected with swine flu in Lane County. While the public tries to decide whether to buy a face mask or just relax, emergency managers and health officials are trying to keep the bug and the hype in check. "The anxiety level can go down. This is flu, and at the moment, it is behaving like flu," said Betsy Meredith, Lane County Public Health. So is the media blowing the swine flu out of proportion? Joe Rizzi, Emergency Manager with the City of Eugene, doesn't think so. "I don't think they're blowing it out of proportion, as much as they're just trying to get information out," Rizzi said, "and now that people are getting informed, I think it's no longer the front page story. It's starting to go down a bit, but it's still important to watch and track." When it comes to whether residents should focus their attention on more pressing health issues, county and city decision makers have mixed opinions. "There's no doubt that just the epidemiology of measles or anything else can be serious," said Dennis Murphy, Springfield Fire Chief and Emergency Management Chair. "This county has dealt with a serious threat for measles before." "More pressing? No. I think this is an important timely message for right now and for planning for the future," said Meredith. |
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