Stay calm and take precautions

Jackson County Health Department reported Monday the community had seen its first death related to the H1N1 flu. Statistically, it could well be the last, although no one really knows how many Americans will succumb to H1N1 this winter. Estimates are pegged at 30,000 or so.

Regardless, Dr. Kenneth Bobb, the county’s health officer, said Monday morning in discussing the death of the 52-year-old woman that we and our neighbors should remain calm and practice the precautions that health officials have been pushing since the H1N1 flu leaped upon the world stage earlier this spring, first reported as the swine flu.

 Those precautions are pretty simple, but we’ll repeat some of them again:

-- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if that’s all that’s available.

-- Cover your coughs and sneezes. It’s recommended you do so into your sleeve, to keep germs off your hands.

-- Stay home if you have flu-like symptoms, which can include fever.

-- Avoid crowded areas if you feel uncomfortable with the risk of exposure.

Practicing those precautions — in other words, practicing good hygiene — and staying calm in the wake of the county’s first H1N1 death just makes sense.

Bobb also counsels county residents to be inoculated against H1N1 as the vaccine is made available to them. The health department is offering eight clinics to residents who are generally healthy and between the ages of 4 years and 24 years, along with their parents, caregivers and siblings. The first is Thursday night. There is no charge.

We can’t really urge you to take the H1N1 vaccine. That’s something for you and your health care provider to discuss and decide.

But as Bobb pointed out, he knows of nearly 40 doctors — including himself — who practice in Jackson County who have been inoculated against H1N1.

One thing we can urge, however, if you choose to attend one of the health department’s flu clinics this month — when you line up at the clinic, be courteous, be patient and be mindful of your sneezes and coughs.