Swine Flu

Join us for a special edition of Health Dialogues, as we take a look at current swine flu conditions across the state, and what we can learn as California braces for a potential pandemic.

News Update

We'll take a look at the latest swine flu news in California. Guest: Dr. Dean Sidelinger, MD, deputy public health officer for the County of San Diego.. Guest: Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, MD, professor and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics and Health Research and Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine..

• Special Coverage: Swine Flu: More swine flu coverage from KQED, as well as links to public media resources and other helpful information.

School Closures and Swine Flu

At the time that the swine flu story first broke, an entire Berkeley eighth grade class left on a field trip to Mexico. We'll speak with the head of that school, who chose not to close her school due to swine flu, as well as a public health department officer, about how to handle such outbreaks. Guest: Dr. Tony Iton, director and health officer, Alameda County Public Health Department.. Guest: Janet Stork, head of school, Berkeley Montessori School..

Swine Flu and the Workplace

Concerns about swine flu are prompting employers, both large and small, to take a closer look at their policies and their daily routines. Reporter Mina Kim has more.

Swine Flu and the Central Valley

We get an update from the Mexican Consulate in Fresno, as well as the Family Health Care Network in the Central Valley, on efforts to reach out to the migrant worker community. Guest: Nancy Banuelos, RN, director of clinical operations at the Family Health Care Network.. Guest: Selene Barcelo, acting consul of the Consulate of Mexico in Fresno..

Impact of State Budget Cuts on Labs and Public Health Nurses

Along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state and county public health departments are responsible for containing swine flu. But the aggressive response to the outbreak has taxed county health departments in California, especially the network of public health labs. As that network is stretched thin, lab directors say that's a result of years of underfunding and stringent federal regulations. Sarah Varney reports.