Kane County Health Department prepares for swine flu surge

Kane County Health Department officials said Tuesday they are gearing up for a surge in swine flu as fall approaches and schools reopen.

To do that, health department staff want to add a new, six-figure salary to their budget in order to hire a specialist to track the virus locally. That, however, may be a tough sell at a time when cutting costs is the standing order of business.

Kane County has 95 reported cases of swine flu as of Tuesday morning, though health officials say they believe the number of actual cases is far greater. Testing for the virus is performed mostly on hospital patients and because Swine flu mimics symptoms of more common flu strains, many may have had the virus without knowing it.

Local health officials are tracking its outbreak in the southern hemisphere of the globe where flu season is just ending. So far, it appears about 80 percent of people on the other half of the planet who had the flu actually had swine flu.

In Kane County, with the fall flu season approaching and school back in session, officials expect an uptick in swine flu cases, said health department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert.

With that in mind, Kuehnert presented a draft 2010 budget that cuts expenses overall, but adds a salary of about $150,000 for a new, full-time epidemiologist.

The county currently contracts outside for epidemiology services at less than half that cost and that, combined with county's current hiring freeze, raised some concerns from members of the county board's Public Health Committee.

"Why are we looking to upgrade if what we currently had worked?" asked County Board Member Barbara Wojnicki, of St. Charles.

"We do need a full-time person, on staff, within the county," Kuehnert said. "For a county our size, we cannot have, particularly in the midst of a pandemic, a health department without an epidemiologist."

The change would require approval from the full county board and Kuehnert may win some favor with a 2010 budget presentation that holds the line on salaries.

Contract talks for the department's union employees will begin soon. Kuehnert said he will bring proposal with no wage increases but also no further layoffs, to the table.