The state is preparing for possible Swine Flu. And now, local leaders are getting ready as well.

Leaders from the public health and law enforcement communities met Thursday to polish a response plan – while others prepared themselves and their families.

The Director of Eau Claire’s City/County Health Department says there are no confirmed Swine Flu cases here. But, he says one sample from Eau Claire County has been sent to the state lab for testing.

He says the outbreak shouldn’t case panic – just preparedness.

"The purpose of meeting [Thursday] was to really plan an incident command structure for how to respond to the swine flu outbreak,” Thoune said. "Who's going to be serving in what role, how are we going to coordinate information releases to the media? How we're going to keep our organizations and community members informed."

Meanwhile, it seems people are preparing too. After a number of phone calls, we found lots of stores are already sold out of surgical masks. But, one doctor says they won’t help protect you from the Swine Flu anyway.

"If you're trying to reduce the spread of the droplets -- which carry the virus -- it may reduce those,” said Dr. Dennis Breen with UW Health. “But, it can't filter out the virus itself. The virus is too small. It's more helpful if you have the disease or an illness and you want to prevent other people from getting it, I think that might be helpful."

Still, experts say your best bet in avoiding Swine Flu is to use some time-tested techniques.

"Washing your hands, covering your cough or sneeze,” Thoune said. “Don't go to work if you're ill. Stay home if you're sick and see a doctor is you're feeling bad."

Dr. Breen says the Swine Flu often shows up with respiratory-type symptoms – including fever [102-degrees for adults and 104-degrees for kids], muscle aches and a cough.

Thoune says the city of Eau Claire will provide local Swine Flu updates on its web site.
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Our Original Story on the Effectiveness of Surgical Masks:

As the Swine Flu continues to spread, some people are turning to surgical masks for protection.

But, do they work?

As we found out Thursday afternoon, many stores around the area are sold out of surgical masks.

That includes both Walgreens in Eau Claire, the Wal-Mart stores in Eau Claire, Lake Hallie and Menomonie, Target in Eau Claire and the Shopko stores in Eau Claire and Lake Hallie.

We did, however, find a few smaller pharmacies and businesses that do still have some masks in stock.

Still, some manufactures can’t even keep up with the demand. A pharmacist at Eau Claire’s Wal-Mart told us the stores surgical masks are back ordered until the end of May.

But, will the masks keep you safe from swine flu?

Dr. Dennis Breen – with UW Health – says these masks can reduce the spread of droplets when someone coughs or sneezes.

But, he says they cannot filter out the Swine Flu virus – he says they’re just too small.

"It's more helpful if you have the disease or an illness and you want to prevent other people from getting it, I think that might be helpful,” Dr. Breen said.

Dr. Breen says a mask with an N95 rating could filter some viruses. But, he says those masks are usually only used in highly epidemic areas and may not be easy to find.