Welcome to

The state Department of Health launched the Florida Flu Information line Monday. As Whitney Ray tells us, the information line is expected to ease people’s worries as the school year begins and a spike in cases is expected.

Just hours after launching the state’s Flu Information call center people began dialing in with questions about swine flu. Some callers are eagerly awaiting a vaccine.

“A vaccine against the H1N1 Swine Flu may be available in the coming months as an option,” said one call operator.

Others want to know how to avoid getting sick.

“I can go ahead and give you some tips if you would like to prevent the infection,” another offered.

It’s no coincidence The Department of Health launched the call center on the first day of class for many schools.

“You may wonder what are the symptoms of swine flu, what do I do if I feel that my child is sick. Certainly those are questions some questions that come to mind,” said Susan Smith, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health.

And those questions can be answered here from 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern. Seven days a week. During peak hours the call center will have 25 operators on hand to pick up the phones and answer questions. Some of the operators are bi-lingual

Jose Rodriguez can answer questions in Spanish and English… but serious health questions in either language get passed on to medical experts.

“Specific calls that require a lot of attention we are actually given the number for the Department of Health and we are actually giving them this number,” said Rodriguez.

and while the operators can’t answer every swine flu question, they promise to point people in the right direction. The number to the Florida Flu Information Line is 877-352-3581.