By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
Washington Secretary of Health Mary Seleky announced on May 5 that the federal Centers for Disease Control has for the first time confirmed cases of Swine flu in Washington: 7 in King County, 1 in Spokane and 1 in Snohomish. Seleky further said that based on the CDC’s experience to date, 99% of the samples declared “probable” by laboratories elsewhere and forwarded to it for testing have been confirmed.
She said that would mean it is likely that all 45 cases the state has forwarded for testing are actually the Swine Flu (H1N1) virus. A total of 403 cases of Swine Flu have now been confirmed in 39 states in the U.S.
Local health authorities say no confirmed or probable cases of swine flu currently exist in San Juan County.
One case involving a student at a private school in Orcas has been declared “suspected” and 9 other cases – one of which is now declared “probable” – were identified among middle-school students from Bellevue who spent two days at a summer camp on Orcas. Nearly 300 students visiting Camp Orkila were returned home to Richland and Bellevue last Friday after initially six students became ill. Camp counselors who came into contact with the youngsters are being quarantined for 7 days as a precaution
State Epidemiologist Dr. Tony Marfin did have some good news. “So far it appears the new flu is similar to seasonal flu in symptoms, spread and treatment.” Marfin said that so far, it does not appear that any cases in Washington have been serious enough to require hospitalization.
In the health community cases are declared “probable” after a laboratory confirms the virus to be “Type A influenza” that doesn’t match the profile of the seasonal flu. Cases are called “suspected” if the victim has flu-like symptoms and another risk factor, such has having recently traveled out of state or has come in contact with another probable or confirmed case.
