Colds, coughs spread in GV

A cough lasting two weeks and longer is one of the symptoms of a bug going around locally.

For some it’s the flu; for others, it’s a cold.

Lisa Hulette, epidemiology manager for the Pima County Health Department said it’s normal cold and flu season for the Northern Hemisphere.

“At this time, Pima County is having a pretty light flu season. We know there are people out there with colds and the flu… the season lasts through February/early March and then goes away,” Hulette said.

Green Valley may be getting the brunt of the bug as Dr. Amy Rosenberg, a physician at United Community Health Center, said about 40 percent of the staff was out sick last week, suffering from the same symptoms as the patients they’re treating.

“The flu is viral and contagious; it’s not responsive to antibiotics. Complications are pneumonia and sinusitis,” she said. “For years we would tell patients to stay in bed, take fluids, fluids, fluids and have chicken soup for symptomatic relief. Right now, drugstores are seeing over-the-counter fixes like Robitussin jumping off the shelves.”

Rosenberg said the most popular anti-viral medication is a pill called Tamivir, it’s pretty successful at stopping debilitating symptoms and can be used preventatively twice a day for five days.

“The expectation is that Tamivir will shorten the length of flu and ease the symptoms. Since it’s a prescription medication it must be checked against other medications a patient is taking, and it’s OK for children.”

Rosenberg said there’s a nasal swab test for the flu, which if diagnosed would tell whether a person has the flu or a cold. It would also help clear the way for the right medication.

Regarding going to work when there are symptoms, she said, “People should stay home; if they go to work, they spread germs. People want to be loyal but end up spreading the germ to everyone else at work.” She strongly suggests wiping down phones and commonly touched surfaces.

Beth Cochran, R.N. at Dr. Michael Cochran’s office in Green Valley, said the office has seen a fair amount of respiratory complaints, most with a productive cough, low grade fever and sore throat. Her feeling is they’ll be seeing more cases; that it’s going to pick up before it eases up.

The Pima County Health Department Web site offers interesting information regarding germs at the workplace.

According to a study by Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona who collected samples from private offices and cubicles in office buildings throughout the U.S., it was found “that phones had up to 25,127 germs per square inch, keyboards 3,295 per square inch and computer mice 1,676 per square inch.”

This was compared to communal toilets at the workplace, which were found to have only 49 germs per square inch.

The study goes on to say in today’s working world, 57 percent of workers snack at their desk at least once a day. Although these surfaces are occasionally cleaned, 20 percent of workers never clean their desks before eating.

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.