California: H1N1 case tracking

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/bonds...46290520090425

UPDATE 1-Seventh case of swine flu confirmed in California
Sat Apr 25, 2009 6:22pm EDT

* Woman in latest case is fully recovered

* California health officials expect more cases

By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES, April 25 (Reuters) - A seventh case of the swine flu that has killed up to 68 people in Mexico was confirmed in California on Saturday, state health officials said.

The latest case was a 35-year-old woman from Imperial County who reported becoming ill on April 4, California Department of Public Health spokesman Al Lundeen told Reuters.


snip

[sharon sanders]

California SF - tracking

One suspected case -

Sacramento School Closed in Possible Swine Flu Case



AIR OAKS, CA - A Fair Oaks school was expected to be closed most of this week while doctors work to determine whether a 7th grade student is infected with swine flu, public health officials confirmed Sunday.

snip

http://www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=58425&catid=2

[MHSC]

Health officials investigate possible swine flu at St. Mel, Sacramento County

Health officials investigate possible swine flu at St. Mel

hsangree@sacbee.com

Published Sunday, Apr. 26, 2009

<big><big><big>
</big></big></big> <!-- CLOSE: #story_header --> Health officials are trying to determine if a seventh-grader in Sacramento County who recently returned from Mexico is the area's first recorded case of swine flu - the strain of influenza that has sickened more than 1,300 in Mexico since April and is suspected in the death of more than 80 in that country.
Sacramento County's Public Health Officer, Glennah Trochet, in a Sunday press conference was quick to point out that it is still unclear if the student does in fact have swine flu.
"Out of an abundance of caution," school and county health officials decided to shut down St. Mel School in Fair Oaks until lab results are in, Trochet said.
Parents of students at the school were told in an e-mail Sunday that the school will be closed for at least three days, while the health department calls families to inquire if any student is showing flu-like symptoms, according to an e-mail sent by Principal Janet Nagel.
Diocesan officials said Sunday that the seventh grader had recently returned from a family vacation in Mexico. The student went home ill from school Monday and another student was out ill Wednesday. By Friday, seven students were out sick. The first student who became ill was tested by county health officials Friday, and the test was positive for several strains of influenza. Those results were sent to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. A determination is expected early this week.
Church officials said they are working in cooperation and consultation with the county health department, said Kevin Eckery, diocesan spokesperson.
Sacramento County has a program where doctors submit flu samples for analysis. On Saturday, a doctor sent the sample from the St. Mel student. The testing found an unidentified strain of influenza A virus.
The county is sending the sample to a Centers for Disease Control lab in Atlanta. It will arrive at 9 a.m. Monday, when it will be tested along with samples from around the country. Trochet said it is unclear how long the testing will take.
St. Mel is a kindergarten through eighth-grade school with 275 students. The school will be closed for several days.
Health officials are interested in a possible Mexico connection with the Sacramento County case, Trochet said. Spring break recently ended for most schools and health officials are trying to determine if the student visited Mexico or southern California during the recess.
The California cases have been mild so far as compared to the Mexico cases, Trochet said.
Officials still don't know much about the virus.
"We're all learning about it. We do not even know how contagious it is," Trochet said.
Symptoms include sore throat, fever over 100-degrees and achiness. People do not need to rush to the emergency room if they feel mildly ill and the outbreak hasn't reached a point where people need to wear masks like in Mexico, Trochet said.
The county will be releasing information regarding the possible swine flu case via twitter and on the county's public health Web site at www.scph.com <http: www.scph.com="">.</http:>

<http: www.scph.com=""></http:>

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/1811611.html

[rockyman]

Re: Health officials investigate possible swine flu at St. Mel, Sacramento County

Up To Six Students Tested For Swine Flu At School
CDC: Flu Vaccine Probably Ineffective Against Swine Flu

FAIR OAKS, Calif. (CBS13/AP) ―

At least six students from St. Mel are being tested to see if they caught the new, deadly strain of swine flu.
CBS

A Fair Oaks elementary school will be shut down for several days while health officials investigate a suspected case of the deadly swine flu, which has sparked a nationwide health emergency.

http://cbs13.com/local/local.swine.flu.2.995008.html

[Daisy]

Re: Health officials investigate possible swine flu at St. Mel, Sacramento County

Oh boy, this is hitting close to home. I live in Sacramento and I woke up sick today. It is a light cold though, so far. I've spent most the day in bed.

I will watch local news and post anything I find that is new.

[WTB]

Re: Health officials investigate possible swine flu at St. Mel, Sacramento County

Hang on, Daisy. Take care of yourself.
Ihope it is just a sneeze.


WTB

[Daisy]

Re: Health officials investigate possible swine flu at St. Mel, Sacramento County

Thanks WTB! Here's the latest from local press.

Flu fear spurs school to close

cpeytondahlberg@sacbee.com

Published Monday, Apr. 27, 2009

<big><big><big>
</big></big></big> <!-- CLOSE: #story_header --> As reports of swine flu cases accelerated worldwide, Sacramento County public health and church officials temporarily closed a Catholic school in Fair Oaks on Sunday because a student there is ill with what may be the new strain of influenza.
Local testing showed the ailing teenager from St. Mel School didn't have a standard flu strain, so samples were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which could have results as early as today.
A St. Mel seventh-grader had been in Mexico during the school's Easter break, then became ill and went home early on Monday, the first day of class after the break, said Kevin Eckery, a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento.
Two days later, an additional seventh-grader became ill and by Friday seven of the school's 40 seventh-graders were unwell, four of them with flulike symptoms, he said. One of those seventh-graders, but not the one who went to Mexico, is the student whose specimen was sent to the CDC, Eckery said.
The parent of one of the stricken St. Mel students called county health officials on Friday after seeing news coverage of the swine flu outbreaks.
"Right now staff is calling every family at school," said Dr. Glennah Trochet, Sacramento County's public health officer, in an effort to find out who might be sick and to encourage testing as appropriate. The county was aiming to complete those calls Sunday night.
Parents of the student whose test results were sent to Atlanta were advised to consult with their doctor about possible use of antiviral medication, Trochet said.
That student, whose name and age are not being released by school or health officials, had only mild symptoms and is recovering, Eckery said.
"No one has been violently ill. No one has had those severe symptoms" reported in some of the cases in Mexico, he said.
St. Mel, a K-8 school with 275 students, will be closed at least through Wednesday. All after-school activities also have been suspended.
"As a parent, I'm happy they pulled the trigger and closed the school as fast as they did," said Michael Pritchard, whose 11-year-old son, Christopher, goes to St. Mel – and is feeling fine so far. "I'm less worried now, because they took preemptive action," he said.
The closure, which Pritchard learned about in an e-mail from the school Sunday afternoon, spurred a frantic hunt for alternative child care, Pritchard said.
"When the e-mail went out, everyone went into a scramble mode," he said. "I got calls from two parents" with offers like "if you take my kids for one day, we can take your kid for a day."
Another parent, Valerie Torres, said she hadn't been worried on Saturday when her fifth-grade son was coughing, but now that she's heard about the closure she plans to get him tested.
"He doesn't have a fever, but I'm going to call Kaiser and make sure it's not just a cold," Torres said.
Shutting down the school for a few days is the right thing to do, said Dr. Cristina Solis, a physician who has three children at St. Mel, in the eighth, sixth and third grades. She heard about the school closure at church Sunday morning.
"I'm surprised, and I'm also concerned about the students who are sick," she said.
In Sacramento and around the world, health officials are still trying to understand how virulent this flu is, how easily it spreads, and why it has killed people in Mexico in age groups that don't generally die of the flu.
"We have all these cases in the United States, Spain, France, Israel, New Zealand, and almost all were mild except in Mexico," said Dr. Christian Sandrock, an infectious disease specialist at UC Davis.
"My question is, what's up with Mexico? Something is not totally making sense, and that happens in outbreaks," especially in the early days, Sandrock said.
It could be weeks before specialists learn enough about those who died in Mexico to determine whether they were more vulnerable or the whether flu was more deadly there, he said.
Meanwhile, he said, the disease could easily continue to mutate, becoming more severe or more mild, or developing new resistance to medications.
"It's going to spread quite a bit," Sandrock said. "We're going to see a lot more numbers in a lot more locations."
Sandrock, Trochet and state health officials continued to advise people to take routine precautions to stay healthy, and urged them to stay home from work or school if they don't feel well.
Symptoms include sore throat, fever over 100 degrees and achiness. People do not need to rush to the emergency room if they feel mildly ill, and the outbreak hasn't reached a point where people need to wear masks as in Mexico, Trochet said.
In California, there are still seven confirmed cases of the new swine flu, which also contains elements of avian and human flu strains, said Dr. Gilbert Chavez, deputy director of the state's center for infectious diseases. The sample sent from the Fair Oaks student is the only one submitted by the state that is pending at CDC labs now, he said.
By Thursday, a state lab in Richmond should have the capability to start doing its own testing for the new swine flu, speeding up diagnoses, Chavez said.

http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/1812164.html

[pablomorgan]

San Diego March Cases

http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/scientists-track-new-swine-flu-virus/2009-04-23

[Daisy]

Re: California - Suspected Cases April 26+

CDC confirms swine flu in Fair Oaks student

nlofing@sacbee.com

Published Monday, Apr. 27, 2009

<big><big><big>
</big></big></big> <!-- CLOSE: #story_header --> A seventh-grader from a private school in Fair Oaks has tested positive for swine flu, Sacramento County public health officials confirmed this morning.
The sample from the St. Mels School student was tested at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and came back positive, making it the first confirmed sample in Northern California, county Public Health Officer Dr. Glennah Trochet stated in a news release.
The case increases the number of confirmed swine flu cases in California to eight. There have been three confirmed cases reported in Imperial County and four confirmed cases reported in San Diego County, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Sacramento County health officials are planning to hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. to answer questions and release any new information that might be available, said Laura McCasland, a spokeswoman for the county Department of Health and Human Services.
Sacramento County health officials have not received any new reports of possible swine flu today, she said.
On Sunday, health and church officials temporarily closed St. Mels Catholic School in Fair Oaks because the seventh grader fell ill with what today was confirmed to be the new strain of influenza known as swine flu.
Several other students also have become ill, and the school will be closed at least through Wednesday.
County health staff is continuing to work today with the Fair Oaks school and contacting students' families.
State public health officials have not released any information about new reports of swine flu and are planning to hold a news conference this afternoon.
Placer, El Dorado, Yuba, Sutter, Nevada and Yolo counties have not received any reports of possible swine flu cases, public information and health officers confirmed this morning.
"We do have surveillance in place with hospitals and health care providers," said Margaret Williams, El Dorado County's public information officer.
County officials, however, are planning to issue information to residents and the media to help ease fears.
In Yolo County, staff is updating its Web site, calling school districts and planning to issue a press release on swine flu.
"We are doing everything we know how to do the best way we can to get stuff out," said Dr. Joseph Iser, the county's director of public health and public health officer.
Surprisingly, hospitals and doctors in the region aren't being inundated with patients concerned over having contracted the virus.
None of Sutter General's patients have mentioned swine flu, but there have been a few patients at Sutter Memorial who wondered if they might have contracted the virus, said Gary Zavoral, a spokesman for Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento.
"So far, they're ruling out swine flu," he said. "It's one of the first things they're looking for."

http://sacbee.com/topstories/story/1813776.html

[Daisy]

Re: Health officials investigate possible swine flu at St. Mel, Sacramento County

CDC confirms swine flu in Fair Oaks student

nlofing@sacbee.com

Published Monday, Apr. 27, 2009

<big><big><big>
</big></big></big> <!-- CLOSE: #story_header --> A seventh-grader from a private school in Fair Oaks has tested positive for swine flu, Sacramento County public health officials confirmed this morning.
The sample from the St. Mels School student was tested at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and came back positive, making it the first confirmed sample in Northern California, county Public Health Officer Dr. Glennah Trochet stated in a news release.
The case increases the number of confirmed swine flu cases in California to eight. There have been three confirmed cases reported in Imperial County and four confirmed cases reported in San Diego County, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Sacramento County health officials are planning to hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. to answer questions and release any new information that might be available, said Laura McCasland, a spokeswoman for the county Department of Health and Human Services.
Sacramento County health officials have not received any new reports of possible swine flu today, she said.
On Sunday, health and church officials temporarily closed St. Mels Catholic School in Fair Oaks because the seventh grader fell ill with what today was confirmed to be the new strain of influenza known as swine flu.
Several other students also have become ill, and the school will be closed at least through Wednesday.
County health staff is continuing to work today with the Fair Oaks school and contacting students' families.
State public health officials have not released any information about new reports of swine flu and are planning to hold a news conference this afternoon.
Placer, El Dorado, Yuba, Sutter, Nevada and Yolo counties have not received any reports of possible swine flu cases, public information and health officers confirmed this morning.
"We do have surveillance in place with hospitals and health care providers," said Margaret Williams, El Dorado County's public information officer.
County officials, however, are planning to issue information to residents and the media to help ease fears.
In Yolo County, staff is updating its Web site, calling school districts and planning to issue a press release on swine flu.
"We are doing everything we know how to do the best way we can to get stuff out," said Dr. Joseph Iser, the county's director of public health and public health officer.
Surprisingly, hospitals and doctors in the region aren't being inundated with patients concerned over having contracted the virus.
None of Sutter General's patients have mentioned swine flu, but there have been a few patients at Sutter Memorial who wondered if they might have contracted the virus, said Gary Zavoral, a spokesman for Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento.
"So far, they're ruling out swine flu," he said. "It's one of the first things they're looking for."
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#tabs=email%2Cpost%2Cweb&charset=utf-8&style=rotate&publisher=07b82a1a-1737-43ed-bfb1-03a19aa05a39&headerbg=%23edf3f5&linkfg=%23024a82"> </script>

http://sacbee.com/topstories/story/1813776.html

[Daisy]

Sacramento Case (Fair Oaks) Confirmed

CDC confirms swine flu in Fair Oaks student

nlofing@sacbee.com

Published Monday, Apr. 27, 2009

<big><big><big>
</big></big></big> <!-- CLOSE: #story_header --> A seventh-grader from a private school in Fair Oaks has tested positive for swine flu, Sacramento County public health officials confirmed this morning.
The sample from the St. Mels School student was tested at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and came back positive, making it the first confirmed sample in Northern California, county Public Health Officer Dr. Glennah Trochet stated in a news release.
The case increases the number of confirmed swine flu cases in California to eight. There have been three confirmed cases reported in Imperial County and four confirmed cases reported in San Diego County, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Sacramento County health officials are planning to hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. to answer questions and release any new information that might be available, said Laura McCasland, a spokeswoman for the county Department of Health and Human Services.
Sacramento County health officials have not received any new reports of possible swine flu today, she said.
On Sunday, health and church officials temporarily closed St. Mels Catholic School in Fair Oaks because the seventh grader fell ill with what today was confirmed to be the new strain of influenza known as swine flu.
Several other students also have become ill, and the school will be closed at least through Wednesday.
County health staff is continuing to work today with the Fair Oaks school and contacting students' families.
State public health officials have not released any information about new reports of swine flu and are planning to hold a news conference this afternoon.
Placer, El Dorado, Yuba, Sutter, Nevada and Yolo counties have not received any reports of possible swine flu cases, public information and health officers confirmed this morning.
"We do have surveillance in place with hospitals and health care providers," said Margaret Williams, El Dorado County's public information officer.
County officials, however, are planning to issue information to residents and the media to help ease fears.
In Yolo County, staff is updating its Web site, calling school districts and planning to issue a press release on swine flu.
"We are doing everything we know how to do the best way we can to get stuff out," said Dr. Joseph Iser, the county's director of public health and public health officer.
Surprisingly, hospitals and doctors in the region aren't being inundated with patients concerned over having contracted the virus.
None of Sutter General's patients have mentioned swine flu, but there have been a few patients at Sutter Memorial who wondered if they might have contracted the virus, said Gary Zavoral, a spokesman for Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento.
"So far, they're ruling out swine flu," he said. "It's one of the first things they're looking for."
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#tabs=email%2Cpost%2Cweb&charset=utf-8&style=rotate&publisher=07b82a1a-1737-43ed-bfb1-03a19aa05a39&headerbg=%23edf3f5&linkfg=%23024a82"> </script>

http://sacbee.com/topstories/story/1813776.html

[Tea]

Re: Sacramento Case (Fair Oaks) Confirmed

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...A8Q5.DTL&tsp=1

Sacramento has 2 more swine flu cases, California's count rises to 13

(04-27) 21:15 PDT Sacramento

Two more California children were added to the list of confirmed cases of swine flu, Sacramento County health officials said this evening.

The additional children were students at St. Mel School, classmates of a third child who was diagnosed with the flu strain earlier.

A teenage student from the same school, who officials initially thought had contracted the virus during a trip to Mexico, tested negative for the flu virus. That student had become ill and then recovered after returning from his trip.

The two new cases in Sacramento County bring the total to 13 cases of swine flu statewide and 42 in other U.S. states as of Monday evening.

Other children at the school have also exhibited illness in the last few days and medical personnel were evaluating the cases.

Health officials said the two newest swine flu cases in Sacramento County tested positive for Influenza Type A, but they could not be sub-typed to see if they were indeed the swine flu strain.

Nonetheless, the county health officials said they were directed, apparently by the state, to conclude that the cases were indeed swine flu.

"Previously, our procedure was to send specimens that could not be sub-typed to the State Public Health Lab for confirmation of our results, and then to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for testing and confirmation as Swine Flu," Sacramento County health officials said in a statement tonight.

"As of tonight, the California Department of Public Health has expressed such confidence in the technical ability and quality work of the Sacramento County Public Health lab that they have changed the procedure.

"From now on when we are unable to sub-type Influenza-A virus, we have been directed to conclude the test has, in fact, detected swine flu," the statement reads.

Officials were unavailable to answer questions tonight regarding the possible source of swine flu at the school or the new testing procedure at the county health office, but said there will be a media briefing Tuesday.

In addition to the three cases in Sacramento County, there were five confirmed cases of swine flu in San Diego and five in Imperial County.

E-mail Jill Tucker at jtucker@sfchronicle.com.





http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12238468


California swine flu cases rise to 13

By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER Associated Press Writer
Posted: 04/27/2009 12:29:24 PM PDT
Updated: 04/27/2009 09:00:09 PM PDT


LOS ANGELES?With the number of California swine flu cases growing Monday, health officials urged residents to take precautions and report symptoms but sought to assure them the danger of contracting the disease is low.

Most people went about their business as usual, but others like Maria Whipple of San Diego were anxious about the outbreak that has claimed nearly 150 lives in Mexico. She donned a surgical mask as she returned home from a business trip in Tijuana.

"People think this is a joke. It's not a joke. I'm worried about it," Whipple said.

The state had 13 confirmed cases of swine flu, with five each in San Diego and Imperial counties and three in Sacramento County, according to Dr. Gil Chavez, deputy director for the state Center for Infectious Disease.

"The outbreak is a call to action and communication and cooperation on every level," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said at a Beverly Hills news conference. He said the state was prepared and that public health authorities were working in conjunction with state emergency management officials.

With 149 suspected swine flu deaths in Mexico?where schools have been closed nationwide?the disease has captured international attention, but California officials are trying to inform the public without causing a scare. While 48 cases have been confirmed in the United States, none have been fatal.

"So far, the disease has been fairly mild and like any influenza season, we expect this to last for weeks as we move along and find out more about this virus," said Dr. Bonnie Sorensen, chief deputy director of the California Department of Public Health.

The state is also investigating other cases, including two "clusters" of patients with influenza-like symptoms in Santa Clarita, Calif. Those test results are expected to come back later this week.

Most of California's cases occurred in counties that border Mexico but officials said the first seven cases reported did not appear to be connected directly to Mexico. All the victims said they did not travel to Mexico and relatives in that country did not visit recently.

At the San Ysidro border crossing where about 40,000 vehicles enter the U.S. daily from Tijuana, some who crossed the border on foot wore surgical masks.

Sid Diaz, 76, from Indian Wells, Calif., did not let swine flu fears interfere with a cross-border dental appointment; Diaz wore a mask while visiting Tijuana to pay $300 for a gold filling. The same dental work costs $1,100 in the U.S.

"Everyone told me not to come," he said. "I'll take a chance, if I can save about $800."

Sacramento County officials reported Monday night that two more seventh-graders from St. Mel School in Fair Oaks have tested positive for swine flu, making three students in all from the school.

Tests on a fourth student, who reported feeling ill after a vacation in Mexico, came back negative Monday night.

All of the students' symptoms are mild. The 275-student school will be closed until at least Thursday.

An unconfirmed illness involving a student at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Claremont led to students being sent home early Monday for disinfection of the campus in eastern Los Angeles County. A private school in Mira Mesa was also closed after six teachers became ill, San Diego County health officials said. Tests were being conducted to determine if the teachers contracted swine flu.

Doctor's offices and clinics fielded extra calls Monday from panicked patients.

Dr. Keith Klein of Beverly Hills said his staff was inundated with calls.

"We can't handle the load of people calling. They are all panicked. They all want to come in for the slightest thing," said Klein.

Low-cost health clinics serving uninsured and poor asked patients to alert the front desk if they had flu symptoms.

"Clinics are more likely to start seeing these cases precisely because so many of our patients go back and forth to Mexico and have contact with people who do," said Dr. John Murphy, associate medical director for La Clinica de La Raza in Northern California.

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said schools were safe.

"We're taking precautionary steps, working closely with families, with parents," he said, adding that hand-washing was being promoted to students and parents.

He said that currently there was no need to close schools in California because of the small number of cases compared to the state's nearly 6.3 million students.

Los Angeles International Airport spokeswoman Katherine Alvarado said the airport was posting signs with sanitation and public health tips. Restrooms were being sanitized twice an hour, with special attention paid to door knobs and handles.

Passengers arriving from Mexico said airport workers there were handing out face masks and health information.

Martha Reyes, 38, of Los Angeles returned from Guadalajara with her 17-year-old son Julian after 10 days caring for her mother-in-law who has a heart condition. Reyes said she didn't find out about the swine flu until Sunday.

"I'm concerned because I don't know how serious it is. We've been washing our hands more frequently and not having contact with strangers," said Martha Reyes.

???

Associated Press Writers Garance Burke in Fresno, Michael R. Blood in Beverly Hills, Lorinda Toledo and Alicia Chang in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County and Samantha Young in Sacramento contributed to this report. AP Writer Elliot Spagat and AP Photographer Lenny Ignelzi in San Diego reported from San Diego.

[Daisy]

Re: Sacramento Case (Fair Oaks) Confirmed

3 Local Swine Flu Cases Confirmed; 9 Others Tested

California Swine Flu Cases Rise To 13

POSTED: 11:18 am PDT April 27, 2009
UPDATED: 12:49 am PDT April 28, 2009


<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.kcra.com/js/13260191/script.js"></script><!--startindex--><table class="clkImgTbl" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top">

ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said at a news conference in Beverly Hills that flu experts have been deployed to Southern California over swine flu concerns.
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. --Sacramento County officials said two more seventh-graders have tested positive for swine flu, increasing the number of confirmed cases in California to 13.Three students in all at St. Mel School in the Sacramento suburb of Fair Oaks have tested positive for the flu. Tests on a fourth student, who reported feeling ill after a vacation in Mexico, came back negative Monday night.Public Health said it has independently made the confirmations.The local lab initially sent specimens to the Centers for Disease Control for testing but said it has since changed its procedures in the news release saying, "From now, on when we are unable to sub-type an Influenza-A virus, we have been directed to conclude that the test has, in fact, detected Swine Flu."Public Health officials are expected to talk about the latest developments during a news conference Tuesday.The seventh-grade student from St. Mel School, a private Catholic school in Fair Oaks, has recovered from mild symptoms, according to California Department of Public Health spokesman Al Lundeen.Additionally, six other people in Sacramento County are also being tested for swine flu, health officials said. California has 13 confirmed cases of the virus. Swine Flu: Facts, Prevention Tips, More
One person who was tested is a health care worker who treated one of the students, Sacramento County Health Director Dr. Glennah Trochet said. The other five have no connection to St. Mel School.Three students in all, at St. Mel School in Fair Oaks, have tested positive for the flu. Tests on a fourth student, who reported feeling ill after a vacation in Mexico, came back negative Monday night."Additional samples that are arriving in Atlanta today for the other three students who had flu symptoms are being evaluated here at the Sacramento County laboratory. If they can't identify them as a strain other than swine flu, they're going to be sending those to Atlanta as well for an evaluation," said Kevin Eckery, spokesman for the Diocese of Sacramento.Dr. Gil Chavez, deputy director of the state Center for Infectious Disease, said Monday the cases include five in San Diego County, five in Imperial County and three in Sacramento County.Only two required hospitalization and those people had other underlying health conditions.<table class="clkImgTbl" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="240"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td valign="top">

St. Mel School in Fair Oaks
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>
Local residents are not being told to wear masks to prevent the spread of swine flu, Trochet said."We're not in a situation such as that as Mexico City," Trochet said.However, Trochet said emergency technicians who work with and transport people with influenza-like illness should wear N95 masks as a preventative measure.St. Mel School will remain closed through the rest of the week. Parents were notified via e-mail about the case.Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said California has activated its joint emergency operations system -- a combination of the public health department and the state emergency management agency.The governor said flu experts have been deployed to Southern California and the state is communicating with public health officials in Mexico, where the situation is much worse.Matthew R. Bettenhausen, the governor's homeland security advisor, said people with flu-like symptoms should wash their hands, stay home from work and not travel. California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell told The Associated Press that schools were safe. "We're taking precautionary steps, working closely with families, with parents," he said. "We want to make sure that students are encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water for a duration of at least 20 seconds as often as possible, at school, before school, in their home." O'Connell said students who are sick should stay home, get medical attention and return to school when they feel better. He said that currently there was no need to close schools in California because of the small number of cases compared to the state's nearly 6.3 million students. "There's no reason whatsoever to even contemplate closing schools," he said. "Ultimately that's the decision of the Department of Health Services, local county health. We're working with them."

[UtahApoc]

California SF - tracking

Just read this:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...oner-says.html



The Los Angeles County coroner's office is investigating two recent deaths that officials say could be related to the recent global swine flu outbreak. However, no tests have come back positive for the swine flu, and medical examiners have not officially determined what caused the deaths.

[Updated at 9:30 a.m.: Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said his office would collect specimens from the deceased and send them to the county public health department, which would determine whether either person died from the swine flu. If so, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be notified, Harvey said.]

Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said Bellflower Medical Center reported the death of a 33-year Long Beach resident Monday afternoon from symptoms resembling swine flu.

"It's that diagnosis that needs to be confirmed," Harvey said. "An autopsy will be performed to establish the cause of death."

The man was taken to the hospital Saturday, complaining of shortness of breath and lymphoma. Doctors later diagnosed the patient with pneumonia, Harvey said.

The second case involves a 45-year-old man from La Mirada, whose death was reported Monday to the coroner's office. The man died April 22 at Coast Plaza Doctor's Hospital in Norwalk.

Doctors said the man died of pneumonia but the L.A. County Health Department refused to accept the death certificate signed by the private doctor, Harvey said. The case was then referred to the coroner's office, which will conduct further investigation.

If confirmed, the deaths would be the first reported in the United States from the swine flu.

-- Andrew Blankstein

[UtahApoc]

Re: Possible First 2 US Deaths

Second report from LA news:

http://www.ktla.com/landing_topstories/?Two-Possible-Swine-Flu-Deaths-Probed-in-=1&blockID=277903&feedID=1198