Swine flu cases put Nevada health officials on alert

By Mary Manning

Thursday, April 23, 2009 | 2:37 p.m.

Nevada state health officials are on heightened alert after a federal agency confirmed seven cases of swine flu in people who appear to have had no contact with pigs.

A 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl in Southern California were first diagnosed with an "unusual" strain of swine flu last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based in Atlanta, said during a teleconference today.

Since then five other cases, including two in Texas that were confirmed this morning, have been found, officials said.

Typically, the swine flu virus was transmitted to people who had contact with pigs, but in the latest cases, no such connection to the animals has been discovered, officials said.

Although there have been no swine flu cases reported in Nevada, the state Health Division is preparing a technical bulletin for doctors around the state, Martha Framsted, spokeswoman for the health division, said.

State health investigators with epidemiologists are staying in contact with the CDC daily, said Framsted.

The technical bulletin will be posted to the state Health Division's Web site probably as soon as Friday, Framsted said.

Like typical influenza, swine flu can be prevented by washing hands thoroughly, staying home if coughing, sneezing or diarrhea is occurring and by receiving a flu vaccine annually, Framsted said.

Four different segments of influenza strains have been found in the cases of swine flu discovered so far, including the North American, the North American avian, human and swine strains from Asia and Europe, CDC officials said.

These swine flu strains combined have not been seen before in any laboratory.

A total of five swine flu cases have been confirmed in California from San Diego County and the Imperial Valley, CDC officials said. A father and his daughter contracted the flu there.

In Texas two 16-year-old boys, classmates in San Antonio, were diagnosed with the same strain.

Ages of the people who have had this swine flu range from 9 years of age to 54, CDC said. It is unknown how the virus is spreading, as a 10-year-old boy traveled from California to Dallas, but none of that particular flu strain has been found in Dallas, CDC said.

All of the cases have recovered. One was hospitalized, but has since recovered.

As the typical influenza season winds down, CDC officials said, it is unusual for swine flu to arise.