Expert: 'There's no need to panic' over swine flu

McALLEN — The Rio Grande Valley's swine flu panic started over the weekend and continued growing.

Medical supply stores trying to order more surgical masks Tuesday to stock shelves depleted in recent days found that their suppliers were out as well.

Pharmacies across the border in Nuevo Progreso discovered that drug companies could not quickly refill their stock of anti-viral drugs, emptied by Americans without a doctor's prescription.

There were no confirmed U.S. deaths from the virus as of Tuesday night, and while 12 Hidalgo County residents are undergoing further testing, there have been no confirmed local cases.

Officials urged the public again Tuesday not to panic. But on the heels of an economic disaster, the swine flu scare is sweeping through the area and sending spooked residents stockpiling supplies as if it were the eve of a hurricane.

"They're making sure their families are taken care of," said Daniel Vela, a pharmacist at Lee's Pharmacy in McAllen. "There is a panic frenzy but there is a lot of validated concern as well."

Surgical masks might do little to prevent the spread of the virus, authorities have cautioned. But Tuesday morning a hoard of people lined up outside Lee's before Vela opened at 7 a.m. to secure the last of his remaining stock — he has ordered thousands more.

Despite the growing demand for masks, county, state and federal officials cautioned Americans again Tuesday to remain calm. The best way to protect yourself is to follow your mother's advice and always wash your hands and cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, said Eddie Olivarez, the chief administrative officer at the Hidalgo County Health Department.

"There's no need to panic," Olivarez said. "But you do need to use caution, because this strain of the flu makes it dangerous."

At Best Medical Supply in downtown McAllen, a fresh shipment of masks never made it to the shelves. It was more convenient to stack them on the counter, where they would be snatched up in a matter of hours.

"We are always busy but not like this," said store employee Rene Saenz.

Most of the store's customers are from Mexico, where demand is exceeding supply, Saenz said, and where — at least in Nuevo Progreso — anti-viral drugs are impossible to find.

Rumors of a drug store with Tamiflu were abundant in Nuevo Progreso on Tuesday afternoon but turned out to be unfounded. A search for the drug at more than a dozen pharmacies there was fruitless.

Antonio Herrera, a clerk at Azteca Pharmacy, a block from the city's international bridge, said American shoppers without a doctor's prescription devoured the supply of Tamiflu at the area's concentrated cluster of pharmacies.

"We can't get it," Herrera said. "We ordered it yesterday and tried again today, but we didn't get it."

Many of the medical supply stores in the United States are ringing up record sales and straining their mask suppliers.

Dennis Bartos, a managing partner at San Antonio-based South Texas Medical Supply — a distributor with some retail locations — said the company has been inundated with mask orders from the border region that it probably can't fill completely, including two orders from maquilas for upwards of 45,000 units.

Many of the factories across the border are requiring workers to wear masks.

"I ordered every case I could get a hold of from my distributors," Bartos said. "They're going a little crazy."

3M Co., a Minnesota-based manufacturer of Post It Notes and respiratory masks, among thousands of other products, reported over the weekend that its popular N95 model, a mask generally considered the best at preventing airborne illnesses, was placed on back order.

At Medi-Dental, a supply store in downtown McAllen, owner David Irizarry accepted paid orders for a shipment of masks that were expected to arrive later this week. Wednesday's incoming shipment was already sold. Elidio Duardo, 77, paid for an order expected to arrive Thursday.

"Everybody's afraid," said Duardo, who already has a stockpile of masks. "We don't know what to expect — except just to be prepared."

Monitor reporter Jared Janes contributed to this story.

Sean Gaffney covers business, the economy and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.