County has 5 confirmed cases of swine flu

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed five cases in Pinal County of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, according to Arizona Department of Health Services and the Pinal County Division of Public Health.

A news release stated the five individuals reside in Pinal County or on tribal land within county borders, and they are currently feeling better or are fully recovered.

The county said the youngest individual affected by the flu attended a school in the Casa Grande Elementary School District. The 12-year-old, who was tested April 27, has fully recovered and is no longer contagious, according to the release. County Public Health officials consulted with the school district’s superintendent, and based on CDC guidelines, they decided to not close the school, but rather focus on community containment strategies.

“Community containment strategies include increased hand washing, asking sick adults and children to stay home, reminding people to cover their cough or sneeze and so forth,” said Tom Schryer, Pinal County Public Health Director, in a statement. “If you are feeling poorly but would not ordinarily seek medical treatment for your symptoms, we are urging you to stay home, rest, drink lots of fluids, wash your hands frequently, cover your cough, and wait out the recovery period.

“As of this morning, the CDC had confirmed 403 cases nationwide and we expect that number to grow,” Schryer said. “Our collective experience in public health is that this viral infection appears no more severe than the common, seasonal influenza at this time. That is good news.”

The CDC has revised its guidelines for testing since the treatment for the virus is the same as any influenza. Only those individuals who are severely ill and have been admitted to a hospital will be tested.

“There is no vaccine to prevent this infection and the treatment is the same as the treatment for any seasonal flu. Testing is not necessary to determine a course of treatment, said Will Humble, acting director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. “Antivirals like Tamiflu and Relenza have been used to successfully treat people infected with this virus. Most people will recover relatively quickly on their own without treatment.”