Source: wftv.com
Orange County Health Officer Dr. Kevin Sherin told a group of reporters Thursday morning that he believes swine flu is in Central Florida, despite that there are no confirmed cases in Florida at the moment.
“So this it, folks, it’s already here. I can’t confirm that with a laboratory test right now, but I’m telling you it’s here in our community and it can spread. Anyone who is sick must be seen and be treated,” Dr. Sherin said Thursday morning.
Dr. Sherin has asked the Emergency Operations Center to open to begin dealing with what he says is an imminent flu pandemic in Orange County and throughout the world. He also praised the Orange County Health Department staff for their tireless work over the past few days. The county decided Thursday that they are going to activate the EOC to a level 2, which means they will offer help to those who need it.
“They’ve been collecting dozens of samples throughout this community. Some of those samples, and it’s more than a handful, are highly suspicious for swine flu,” Dr. Sherin said.
A couple hours later, Orange County held a press conference with Mayor Rich Crotty and Dr. Sherin to update the media after holding a swine flu prep meeting with government officials and leaders from local theme parks, hospitals and universities.
