New Swine Flu Case Reported In Imperial County
POSTED: 2:13 pm PDT April 25, 2009
UPDATED: 4:51 pm PDT April 26, 2009
SAN DIEGO -- A new case of Swine Flu was reported Saturday in Imperial County, according to health officials there.A 35-year-old person was treated at a hospital and has been released, Imperial County Public Health Information Officer Maria Peinado told 10News. Other information such as the person’s gender and relations to other victims was not released.The latest case brings the total of Swine Flu patients in Imperial County to three.No new swine flu cases have been reported Saturday and there are no pending suspected cases in San Diego County at this time, according to the county Health and Human Services Agency. The agency is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health to determine how four people in the county became infected between Tuesday and Friday, said HHSA spokesman Jose Alvarez. The four, who have all recovered, include two boys ages seven and 10; and a 54-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter, said Alvarez.Two cases have been reported in Texas. "We have heightened our surveillance and put area healthcare providers on alert. This will most likely generate additional cases of human infection with swine influenza," said County Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten. The strain of swine flu found in San Diego and Imperial Counties is the same one that has killed 70 people in Mexico, according to the CDC. However, the symptoms in the local cases have been mild and are similar to regular influenza, the HHSA said. One of the San Diegans infected with swine flu had traveled to Mexico, but it was unclear if that is where the person became infected, said Dr. Richard Besser, acting CDC director. The CDC has issued an outbreak notice for Mexico, but has not called for any domestic or international travel restrictions. Swine flu is a respiratory disease found in pigs that sometimes infects humans, according to the HHSA. Human cases of swine flu usually occur in people who have been in close proximity to infected pigs, but that did not appear to be the case in the latest infections, health officials said. Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, coughing and a lack of appetite, according to the HHSA. "If you are sick, do not go to work, school or travel. Cover your mouth when coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose, and wash your hands frequently," said Wooten.
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