County declares health emergency

County of San Diego and Imperial County both have proclaimed local health emergencies. Officials said the proclamations are routine steps in preparations for addressing an outbreak of swine flu. There are 8 confirmed cases in San Diego County and 5 confirmed cases in Imperial County

“Proclaiming a public health emergency is routine in situations like this and done to assist our health professionals in doing their job of protecting our residents,” said Dianne Jacob, San diego County Board of Supervisors chairwoman. “We want residents to remain calm and know that county government is doing everything we can to mitigate the spread of the swine flu virus. Our health professionals are working around the clock.”

“It is important for Imperial County residents to know that we are aggressively addressing swine flu in Imperial County,” said Wally Leimgruber, Chairman, Imperial County Board of Supervisors. “This proclamation is strictly precautionary and will allow the County to recover local costs associated with the swine influenza situation. We continue to work closely with federal and state agencies as well as our neighboring counties to ensure that all appropriate measures are being taken.”

The emergency proclamation allows both counties flexibility in dealing with the swine flu virus and allows them to access state and federal funds, supplies and equipment that have been made available. The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency and the Imperial County Public Health Department continue to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health to determine the cause of the infections and the extent of human-to-human spread of the swine flu.