The El Paso County Department of Health and Environment is suspending two programs to free up people to handle its H1N1 response, and more temporary cuts are almost certain.

The health department is the lead agency for overseeing H1N1 immunizations when a vaccine arrives later this fall, and its preparations come amid an increase in H1N1 hospitalizations and outbreaks. On Thursday, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office reported that it has quarantined about 380 inmates because three had confirmed cases of H1N1 and several more were symptomatic. Earlier this week state health officials reported 171 hospitalizations and two deaths in the last month.

The county health department announced Thursday that beginning Oct. 7, it’s suspending its travel clinic, which immunizes people for disease risks in the countries they’re visiting, and an immunization clinic that provides routine vaccinations for children and teens.

The agency might have to suspend more services once vaccinations against H1N1 begin later this fall and new outbreaks pop up. Worst-case, Buckland said, the health department may solely manage H1N1 and run no other services, although which other programs might be halted hasn’t been determined.

The changes announced Thursday free up about eight people for duties related to H1N1, Buckland said, and she might need to pull staff from other duties to administer vaccines, manage outbreaks, or both. But health authorities expect other health care providers and medical volunteers to help with the mass vaccinations.

The suspended programs are just the latest evidence that flu activity is picking up steam. Six wards in the El Paso County jail housing more than 300 inmates have been put under quarantine because of the swine flu.

According to Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lt. Lari Sevene, the quarantine affects 380 inmates housed in six of the jail’s 23 wards.

Four of the affected wards have been on quarantine since Saturday, and the quarantine will be in effect through today if no other inmate shows flu-like symptoms.

The other two wards were put under a quarantine Thursday that could be lifted in five days.

Inmates with flu symptoms were taken to the jail’s medical ward, where they’ll remain until they’ve recovered, Sevene said.

The jail quarantine comes about a week after Cesar Chavez Academy in Colorado Springs closed with more than half its students absent with flu-like symptoms.—Maria St. Louis-Sanchez of The Gazette contributed to this report.

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