By: Steve Patterson, Jeremy Cox
Source: Jacksonville.com
If swine flu reaches Florida, fast steps to fight it could be the best hope for keeping people safe, health officials said Monday.
Florida’s surgeon general asked doctors to send to a state lab samples from anyone they think might have flu. County health offices used computer tracking to watch for emergency room patients with fevers, coughs and sore throats.
State health workers drafted a nearly $21 million plan three years ago for handling a massive flu outbreak, and they dusted it off after a new strain from Mexico surfaced late last week within the U.S.
