Mariposa County has its first documented case of the H1N1 influenza virus. The person infected was a child and has since made a full recovery.

According to Mariposa County Public Health Officer Dr. Charles Mosher, the child, who is threeyears old, was determined to have the virus about three weeks ago. Mosher said his department had issued a press release on the case, but the GAZETTE did not receive it.

Mosher believes there have probably been more cases of the virus, but they have gone undetected for lack of the offical test. “I’m sure we’ve had others,” he said. He did not say in which area of the county the infected child resides.

The health department recommends some common sense guidelines for helping to prevent the spread of influenza. The measures include keeping the ill isolated at home, washing hands frequently with soap and water, especially after a cough or sneeze, using alcoholbased hand cleaners when soap and water are not available, avoiding touching eyes, nose, or mouth, discouraging sick people from entering an office or business, and avoiding crowded places.

Mosher said the county’s physicians have been kept up to date on this epidemic. He reminds those who might be infected to call first. “If you have symptoms of the flu, (fever, headache, chills, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches), call the clinic first,” the health department’s Web site states. “Clinic staff will be able to serve you on the phone initially, and you will help contain the flu virus by not spreading it in a waiting room full of patients.”

The health department is working with local schools to help prevent the spread of disease. Recently, it gave local schools 180 bottles of alcoholbased hand sanitizer and had an informational booth at the fair. Mosher said he is “really impressed” with how much school children know about prevention.

Mariposa County Unified School District has been working with staff and students to educate them about hygiene and other prevention methods. It is encouraging parents to keep children home when they are ill and has gone as far as encouraging schools to amend their perfect attendance policies.

“To receive an award for perfect attendance, a student must not have more than three excused absences for sickness, receive five or fewer tardies during the year, and have no unexcused absences or truancies,” the Mariposa County High School student handbook states. Absences due to illness longer than three days will not be counted against perfect attendance with administrative approval.

The idea is to encourage students to stay home if they are sick to avoid spreading illness without penalizing them for missing school. Preapproved absences, vacations, and excused absences other than for illness will count against the perfect attendance.

The health department is planning two separate vaccination campaigns this fall. The first, planned for October, to vaccinate against Seasonal Influenza. Vaccine against H1N1 will be administered in November, or sooner, as it becomes available.

There is also one confirmed case of pertussis, or whooping cough, in Mariposa County. The child who is 2-years-old was diagnosed two weeks ago. Mosher said the entire family has been given a course of antibiotics to help prevent the spread of the illness.

For more information about prevention of illness, residents can visit the health department’s Web site at www.mariposacounty.org or call 966-3689.