AHH-CHOOOO! IT'S A SICK COUNTY // HEALTH: A
croaking chorus is making the rounds this holiday
season: Fa la la, `Say ah,' wheeze, sniffle, snort,
hack.
DATE 12/30/93
NEWSPAPER THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
SECTION NEWS
EDITION MORNING
PAGE a01
STORY LENGTH 29 INCHES
HEADLINE AHH-CHOOOO! IT'S A SICK COUNTY // HEALTH: A
croaking chorus is making the rounds this holiday
season: Fa la la, `Say ah,' wheeze, sniffle, snort,
hack.
BYLINE/CREDIT DAN FROOMKIN:The Orange County Register
SUBJECT TERMS OC:HEALTH:DISEASE
That noise you hear is a county coughing.
It's a rattling tenor rasp at the pediatric clinics, a booming
guttural explosion in the cold and flu aisles of the local
pharmacy, and a choked cry of surrender on the couch in the family
den.
Orange County is sneezing for mercy, victim to a triple-pincered
viral attack.
Hitting high: the winter colds. Hitting low: the year-end
stomach bugs. And going for the knockout: the big bad flu --
Influenza A.
Local hospitals are filled to capacity, doctors' offices are
packed, employee parking lots are even more abandoned than usual
this time of year, and drug stores are doing big business.
Mothers and babies at one storefront Santa Ana clinic spilled
out onto the sidewalk Wednesday -- and some medical offices
succumbed themselves.
All six staff members at Fisher Chiropractic in Fountain Valley
had fallen to the flu by Wednesday morning, forcing office manager
Susann Kirk to field forwarded phone calls as she lay listlessly on
her couch.
"We had to close down until next Tuesday," Kirk croaked. "It's
not funny. We're losing thousands of dollars."
While their children joined the rush for Contac and Sudafed, the
elders in Little Saigon cleared local pharmacy shelves of Dau Gio
Xanh (literally "oil wind queen"), a green herbal oil rubbed on the
chest.
Some pharmacies serving Mexican-American neighborhoods sold
dried Gordolobo (literally "fat wolf"), a plant somewhat like a
snapdragon that is used to make a cold-fighting tea.
And a Kaiser Permanente pediatric clinic in Anaheim that
normally serves 15 children in a morning had 68 patients arrive
before noon Wednesday.
Even Nordstrom's at South Coast Plaza was feeling the brunt.
Almost one third of the staff was out sick Wednesday, said
personnel assistant Sam Acevedo.
"We're having a very hard time," she said. "Everybody's getting
it. And it's not like a one-day flu, either."
Acevedo herself just got back from being out sick. "I had a
103-degree fever and coughing," she said.
At the Children's Hospital of Orange County clinic, parents
with runny-nosed babies lined the waiting rooms.
"I had it and now the baby has it," said Adolfo Crespo Jr.,
cradling 3-week-old Adolfo III.
"It started with a light headache, dizziness, fever, runny nose,
cold -- everything. I just felt weak for three days."
Instead of spending quality time with her favorite Christmas
present -- a new Barbie doll -- 4-year-old Joanna Menchaca spent
Tuesday night throwing up.
Similarly, Adam Estrada, 4 1/2, hasn't been able to fully
explore his new Batman action figure. "My ears hurt," he explained.
"I cough. My leg aches."
Jim Matsuba, owner of Jim's Pharmacy in San Clemente, has his
own theory for the increase in flu symptoms.
"Every Christmas we get a lot of colds and things," Matsuba
said. "It's because of the number of people in the malls and stuff."
"Every year at this time, people would like very much to
attribute every illness that's out there to influenza, but it
doesn't happen that way," said Hildy Meyers, an epidemiologist for
the Orange County Health Care Agency.
So far, Orange County has seen only a few dozen diagnosed cases
of Influenza A, a category which includes the Beijing flu.
Real flu can be deadly -- particularly to the elderly and other
people with suppressed immune systems. Symptoms include fever,
headache, body aches, sore throat and a cough. And if they
continue, they require medical attention.
But there are plenty of other microbes floating around out there.
"There are at least 100 viruses out there that can cause similar
symptoms," Meyers said.
And for most of those, the prescription is familiar: bed rest
and fluid.
So sleep well, Orange County. And drink plenty of liquids.
(SIDEBAR)
(CHART-LIST)
PREVENTING COLDS AND FLU
Wash hands frequently; avoid touching nose and eyes.
Use tissues instead of handkerchiefs and dispose of them in a
paper bag that is frequently replaced.
Avoid big crowds in enclosed areas such as airports, theaters and
stores.
Don't get run down. Get enough rest and eat properly.
Dress for the weather.
Stay home for the first few days of illness to avoid spreading it.
SEE A DOCTOR IF YOU:
Can't keep down liquids or have diarrhea for more than 24 hours.
(This is especially important for children, who can dehydrate
quickly.) Signs of dehydration include dark urine or lack of urine,
chapped lips, dry eyes.
Cannot sleep because of head or chest congestion.
Have a fever of 101 degrees or higher, feel unable to wake up or
are not making sense.
Have very thick or greenish mucous.
Have pain in chest or throat when coughing.
Have shortness of breath.
Have aching in one or both ears.