TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Swine flu fears put Pinellas jail under quarantine

ADVERTISEMENT

By PETER BERNARD | WFLA
and MARK  DOUGLAS | News Channel 8

Published: July 27, 2009

Updated: 07/27/2009 04:36 pm

CLEARWATER - Parts of the Pinellas County Jail have been placed under quarantine because of a possible flu outbreak.

About 200 of the jail's 3,200 inmates are affected by the action. The 200 inmates live in seven pods. None of those inmates is showing typical symptoms of swine flu, like coughing, headache, and fever.

Health workers are treating 13 inmates for flu-like symptoms. Three of the inmates have been confirmed as having the flu "type A" and are receiving medication. Results from a state lab evaluation should be back on Tuesday to determine if they have swine flu.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Cecelia Barreda says it will take further testing to determine if anyone at the jail is infected with swine flu. But jail officials already are following swine flu procedures.

In addition, inmates subject to the quarantine must wear masks when they go to court.

Jail workers are disinfecting cell areas and wearing masks whenever they enter the areas where inmates are showing signs of illness.

They expect to lift the quarantine by Thursday.

Jail workers began noticing flu symptoms among inmates seven to 10 days ago, Barreda said.

Those same workers are on high-alert for flu symptoms as new inmates that arrive daily.

Jail Medical Director Dr. Timothy Bailey says he expects the swine flu situation to get worse across the world and at the Pinellas County Jail.

He said he is treating all inmates with symptoms as if they have the swine flu; the 13 inmates feeling flu-like symptoms are being housed in the same negative-pressure isolation cells used when inmates contract tuberculosis.

Any inmates who have symptoms upon their release will leave with masks and "specific discharge instructions," Barreda said.

Mark Douglas can be reached at 727 709-2753

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT