Georgia and South Carolina have their first confirmed cases of swine flu, joining 10 other states that have nearly 100 lab-confirmed cases. And health officials expect more to surface from the probable and suspect cases still being tested.
Georgias confirmed case is an unidentified 30-year-old Kentucky woman who went to Cancun, Mexico, on April 17 and came down with fever, chills and aches the following day, said S. Elizabeth Ford, director of the Georgia Division of Public Health. After returning home, the woman drove to Atlanta with her 5-year-old daughter on Thursday and shopped there. She went to LaGrange on Saturday and went to a wedding there on Sunday. She went to the ER after the wedding and at West Georgia Health System received a rapid test for flu, which came back positive. She is in stable condition in isolation in the intensive care unit at the hospital, said President/CEO Jerry Fulks.
She is beginning to show some modest signs of improvement (but) she is still a very seriously ill patient, he said. None of the womans family or close contacts has shown any symptoms but they were started on antiviral medications as a precaution, said Dr. Susan Lance, director of the Office of Protection and Safety for Georgia Public Health.
We would expect if she had transmitted the illness to anybody, she would have transmitted it to those who she was closest to and she did not, she said.
So far, the state has received 48 samples for further testing, with one positive, 23 negatives, and 24 pending, Dr. Ford said.
South Carolina has had 13 cases confirmed as swine flu, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control reported Thursday. Those cases all relate to students at a Newberry school who took a class trip to Mexico or their family members. Those patients are being asked to voluntarily isolate themselves at home. The state has tested 22 samples so far.
The latest official count from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of 109 confirmed cases in 11 states includes South Carolina but not the Georgia case, and the numbers have been changing daily. Acting CDC Director Richard Besser said the agency may soon stop reporting actual case numbers and start focusing on areas affected. So far, there has been one death, of a toddler from Mexico in Houston, and six hospitalizations but Dr. Besser said he expects to see more severe disease as the outbreak progresses.
Unfortunately, I do expect there will be more deaths, he said.
The CDC is gearing up for a potential vaccine by growing stocks of the virus that could be used to create it. While discussions are ongoing, the plan appears to be to let the manufacturers finish production of the season flu vaccine and then begin production of a swine flu shot that would be available in the fall, Dr. Besser said.
In the meantime, he called for a shared responsibility of government agencies, businesses and individuals to all take steps to thwart the spread of swine flu, such as practicing good hygiene.
There no one action that will stop this, Dr. Besser said. Theres no one silver bullet.
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If you come down with flu-like symptoms, the best first step is to contact your health care provider to see what kind of treatment or testing should be done, the Georgia Division of Public Health advised. A rapid test can determine if any influenza is present and public health has certain criteria for what should be tested further. Any test at the Georgia public health lab that comes back as an influenza A that does not match known subtypes is submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation that it is swine flu, influenza A H1N1. The CDC is in the process of sending out testing kits to state labs and Georgia may have the ability to do its own confirmation.
Click here to read the transcript from the Chronicle's live chat with MCG's Dr. Wilde. Dr. Wilde answered questions users had about the Swine Flu.
MORE NEWS - LOCAL
Two Augusta military cases probable new flu (5/06)
Confirmed cases in Georgia now total 4 (5/06)
Ga., SC expect more swine flu cases (4/30)
Georgia reports swine flu case (4/30)
CDC says 10 swine flu cases in SC (4/30)
Alabama cancels prep sports over swine flu concerns (4/30)
Local schools will adjust if closures are necessary (4/30)
Some call off, alter mission trip plans (4/30)
Precautions urged as flu deaths likely (4/29)
22 S. Carolina patients being tested (4/28)
MORE NEWS - AP
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STAY HEALTHY
- Stay informed. The CDC website will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
- Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
- Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
- Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
- Develop a family emergency plan as a precaution. This should include storing a supply of food, medicines, facemasks, alcohol-based hand rubs and other essential supplies.
- Call 1-800-CDC-INFO for more information.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
MORE INFORMATION
For the answers to the most common H1N1 flu questions, Dr. James Wilde of MCGHealth has issued a frequently asked questions statement.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Georgia Division of Public Health
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
RESOURCES
INTERACTIVE: View an interactive Associated Press graphic that shows affected countries, gives a timeline of the history of influenza, shows how it spreads, shows levels of state readiness and gives a timeline of the current swine flu problem.
MAP: View an interactive map of reported cases of H1N1 Swine Flu.
NOTE: Map courtesy Henry L Niman, a medical researcher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Reach Tom Corwin at (706) 823-3213 or tom.corwin@augustachronicle.com






