Two more new flu cases reported in Carson City

By Mary Manning

Thursday, May 7, 2009 | 12:47 p.m.

The state of Nevada is reporting a total of seven H1N1 flu cases today with the addition of two patients from Carson City.

The two cases in the state's capitol are both under 18 years of age and one is enrolled as a student in the Carson City School System, health and school officials said.

Both Carson City cases of the unusual flu, also known as swine flu, had mild forms of the illness and have recovered, health officials said.

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines Wednesday, easing school closures, the Carson City school affected will not close, said school Superintendent Richard Stokes. Parents are asked to keep children who have flu-like symptoms at home.

Both the Carson City School District and the Carson City Health and Human Services offices are working together to monitor the situation, officials said. They are surveying all area schools and tracking absences as well as influenza-like illness in the schools.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control has confirmed 642 cases of the flu that combines swine, bird and human pieces of influenza viruses.

There are two confirmed cases in Clark County, one an 11-year-old boy who is a student in Findlay Middle School in North Las Vegas and a military dependent. He has recovered. A 39-year-old woman was hospitalized in Henderson with a more severe case of the flu, Southern Nevada Health District officials said.

In Washoe County three confirmed cases of the flu have been reported, the first in a 2-year-old girl, followed by her mother and a younger sibling.

Health officials ask people to report to their doctors if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. Symptoms of H1N1 flu are similar to seasonal, or regular, flu that include fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose, nasal congestion and muscle aches. Diarrhea and vomiting may also occur.

Health officials said the best prevention against all flu viruses include washing hands for at least 20 seconds, covering nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing, avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth to stop spreading germs and avoiding crowded areas if people have flu symptoms.