WHEELING - The Wheeling YWCA is stocking up on bleach and other items to sanitize its building during the coming seasonal flu and swine flu seasons.
The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department recently conducted flu prevention training for YWCA employees. Nurse Maggie Sall stressed the importance of frequent handwashing to prevent the seasonal flu and swine flu from spreading.
"We have residents in a dormitory-style setting that all interact with each other. We want to make sure we don't get the whole building infected. We're going to try and fight it," said Carry Byrum, YWCA executive director.
Byrum said the workers also were told to get the seasonal flu vaccine and, if eligible, the H1N1 flu vaccine, often called the swine flu vaccine.
At the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, seasonal flu vaccinations for those age 65 and older or with an illness is scheduled to begin by appointment Sept. 28. Howard Gamble, health department administrator, said the swine flu vaccine won't be available until about mid-October.
West Virginia's first fatality from the swine flu virus occurred Thursday. A 51-year-old Kanawha County man who had a chronic illness died from the swine flu, Gamble said. He noted state health officials are not disclosing what chronic illness the man had.