Swine flu may have reached Iowa
Two probable cases of H1N1 virus — also known as swine flu — have reached Iowa, and health officials say they expect more to appear, potentially triggering a state public-health disaster declaration.
“We anticipate it will spread. We fear we will see more cases in Iowa,” said Thomas Newton, the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, at a press conference.
He said more definite answers of the two cases — reported in Des Moines County and Clinton County — are likely to be known today, and the individuals seemed to be recovering.
And though the two people traveled through various cities in Iowa during the past week — including parts of Johnson County — Newton said it is unlikely state officials will investigate the specifics of where they traveled.
“Very soon, we will not be able to track down every case,” Newton said, noting individuals should take personal precautionary steps.
The two people had traveled to areas where the H1N1 flu outbreaks were occurring, officials said.
Across the country, as of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 91 confirmed cases spanning 10 states and one death in Texas, that of a 23-month-old Mexican boy.
Gov. Chet Culver urged Iowans to be cautious and calm.
“We are working around the clock to prevent further spread of this flu,” he said, and officials will be in close contact with hospitals and clinics.
Since April 27, the UI Hygienic Laboratory has received around 159 samples from around the state, said Pat Blake, a spokeswoman for the lab.
Blake said researchers are looking at the samples to determine if they match the criteria of the 2009 H1N1 virus strain.
She also said more than 1,400 specimen-collection tubes have been sent across the state, and since April 27, each day has brought a surge of samples.
Lucy Desjardin, program manager for molecular diagnostics at the UI Hygienic Laboratories, said researchers are determining the differences in the samples that make them particularly concerned by this new virus.
“There are several factors of what samples are more of a concern,” the doctor said. Samples that exhibit more symptoms are sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It changes so quickly with what we know,” Desjardin said, and starting next week, the lab will be able to do its own testing after receiving kits from the CDC.
Loreen Herwaldt, a UI Hospitals and Clinics epidemiologist, said anti-viral medicine stock has been increased and health-care workers are offering screenings across campus.
“We really don’t know how severe this is yet,” she said, noting people can become contagious before symptoms arise.
UI nursing student Kelly Metcalf will work in the UIHC over the next few days, but she said she isn’t concerned, given the caution experts are taking.
And while she personally hasn’t heard of any cases, she noted the UIHC emergency room is “chock-full” of people with flu symptoms who are worried they may have the virus.
As officials continue to dissect information, state Department of Public Health Medical Director Patricia Quinlisk said it’s unclear why there’s such a difference in the number of people affected in Mexico versus the United States.
Quinlisk also said anti-virals are not a “magic bullet” solution to the influenza.
“Now that the virus has been introduced in the state, it’s even more important for Iowans to help prevent the spread of the disease,” she said.
Officials said that if people feel ill, they should take precautions and stay home from their daily activities.
And as testing continues across Iowa, four of the five UI students studying abroad in Mexico — where officials are reporting more than 150 deaths due to the virus strain — are coming home early from their trips.
Janis Perkins, the director of the UI Office for Study Abroad, said officials of the programs affiliated with the UI made the decision to require students to go home.
“Being in Mexico, society has shut down,” she said. “It’s a practical consideration,” she noted.
When the students return to the States, Perkins said, they’re being advised to stay home for a week and avoid contact with others.
She noticed many programs nationally are being canceled for the summer in Mexico, but UI programs have made no final decisions yet.
Despite the need to take precautions, Culver said this is “not time for alarm, it’s time to be aware, informed, and to pay attention.”
DI reporter Tessa McLean contributed to this report.
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