http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/04/23/2009-04-23_should_we_be_concerned_about_swine_flu_two_new_cases_pop_up_in_california.htmlFive new cases of a unique form of swine flu were confirmed this afternoon by officials at the Centers for Disease Control, bringing the total number to seven. There are five cases in California and two in Texas, and the victims - three females and four males - range in age from 9 to 54.
“The good news is that all seven have recovered,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for the Science and Public Health Program, during a teleconference. She added that although the unusual strain of swine flu is resistant to two of the older antiviral medications, it appears to be susceptible to two of the newer antiviral drugs. She also said it appears that the virus is spread from human to human contact. None of the patients had direct contact with pigs before getting sick, according to Schuchat.
“We are in the process of an intensive investigation,” Schuchat said, calling the strain an “unusual” one. “We are taking active steps to learn more and to make sure we are on top of the situation.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-briefs22-2009apr22,0,3227278.storySwine flu cases prompt a search for the source
Two mysterious cases of swine flu have been found in Imperial and San Diego counties, leading to an investigation by local, state and federal health officials to find the source.
A 9-year-old girl in Imperial County and a 10-year-old boy in San Diego County were identified as having had the virus, officials said Tuesday.
Neither needed hospitalization and both have recovered. But health officials remained puzzled because neither patient had been in contact with pigs or with each other, and the strain of the flu is one never seen before in the United States.
Officials said there was no indication the virus was spreading. "We do not have an epidemic," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County health officer.
Although it commonly causes respiratory problems in pigs, swine flu is rare in humans. Only 12 other cases of human infection have been detected since 2005, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the 12 cases, 11 of the patients had had contact with pigs.
Symptoms include fever, lethargy, cough and lack of appetite.
Documented cases of swine flu being transmitted from one human to another are rare, according to the CDC.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gzz357patY4-QaJFvo9O95zMM_EQD97OFAI80Swine flu cases up to 7; officials expand probe
By MIKE STOBBE – 42 minutes ago
ATLANTA (AP) — Health officials are investigating a never-before-seen form of the flu that combines pig, bird and human viruses and which has infected seven people in California and Texas. All the victims recovered, but the cases are a growing medical mystery because it's unclear how they caught the virus.
None of the seven people were in contact with pigs, which is how people usually catch swine flu. And only a few were in contact with each other, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Still, health officials said it's not a cause for public alarm: The five in California and two in Texas have all recovered, and testing indicates some mainstream antiviral medications seem to work against the virus.
Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC said officials believe it can spread human-to-human, which is unusual for a swine flu virus.
The CDC is checking people who have been in contact with the seven confirmed cases, who all became ill between late March and mid-April.
Because of intensive searching, it's likely health officials will find additional cases, said Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
CDC officials detected a virus with a unique combination of gene segments that have not been seen in people or pigs before. The bug contains human virus, avian virus from North America and pig viruses from North America, Europe and Asia.
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