CDC confirms nine cases of H1N1 swine flu in Washington state — all reported to be recovering

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that nine people who came down with flu-like illnesses in Washington state did, indeed, have influenza A (H1N1) or “swine flu”.

Probable and confirmed H1N1 cases by county

Seven of the cases were identified in King County, one in Snohomish County and one in Spokane County.

Washington State  Secretary of Health Mary Selecky said the results were expected. 

 “The CDC tells us 99 percent of probable samples tested are confirmed positive, so this is no surprise,” Selecky said.

“We expect most of the probable cases in our state to be confirmed, as they have in other states,” said Selecky

As of yesterday, May 5, the state has an additional 49 probable cases.

Illnesses caused by the new virus have not turned out to be a severe as was originally feared. Instead symptoms have been similar to those seen with seasonal flu that typically appears in the state in the fall and winter months.

While this is good news, health officials point out that seasonal flu can be quite severe sending hundreds of thousands of Americans to the hospital and killing 36,000 on average every year.

To learn more:

• Nurses are available to answer your questions on the King County Flu Hotline Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The number to call is: 877-903-KING (5464) 
• Click here to read the press release about the confirmation in Spanish 

For more information online about Swine flu:

Swine Flu and You
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm (English)
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/espanol/influenza_porcina_usted.htm (Espanol)

Facts about Swine Flu
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm (English)
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/espanol/swine_espanol.htm (Espanol)

Preventing the Flu
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm?s_cid=swineFlu_outbreak_internal_003 (English)
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/espanol/habits.htm (Espanol)

Latest news from CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ (English)
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/espanol/ (Espanol)

Symptoms and precautions from the Washington State Department of Health
English (PDF) 
Spanish (PDF)
Chinese (PDF)
Korean (PDF)
Russian (PDF)
Vietnamese (PDF)
Large type (PDF)

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Tags: 2009/H1N1, A/H1N1, CDC, Flu, H1N1, Influenza, Influenza A, King County, Seattle, Snohomish, Spokane, Swine Flu, Washington

Category: Influenza