Alaska - confirmed case H1N1

[Gert van der Hoek]

U.S. state Alaska reports first confirmed case of A/H1N1 flu



29 May 2009 |



San Francisco. A middle-aged woman has been confirmed to be the first patient having A/H1N1 flu in Alaska, health officials in the U.S. state announced on Thursday, Xinhua News Agency informs.

The woman, from the state's Fairbanks area, started to show flu-like symptoms about two weeks ago, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services said in a statement.

State epidemiologists have contacted the patient to begin their investigation into where or how she may have contracted the virus and to learn who she may have been in contact with while she was contagious.

According to statistics by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of May 27, 7,927 confirmed and probable cases of A/H1N1 flu have been reported in 47 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n182543

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Alaska - confirmed cases H1N1

Alaska reports first H1N1 (swine) flu case

Fairbanks resident first in state to test positive

(Anchorage, AK) ? The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services virology laboratory in Fairbanks reported its first positive test for the novel H1N1 (swine) flu in Alaska on Wednesday. This is the first confirmed case of the new flu strain in Alaska.

State epidemiologists have contacted the family of the patient, a middle-aged woman from the Fairbanks area whose flu-like symptoms started approximately two weeks ago, to begin their investigation into where or how she may have contracted the virus and to learn who she may have been in contact with while she was contagious.

The Alaska Public Health Virology Lab in Fairbanks has tested more than 516 flu samples since April 27, 2009.

http://www.hss.state.ak.us/press/2009/h1n1_052809.htm

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Alaska - confirmed case H1N1

Health officials confirm first case of swine flu in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Fairbanks woman is the first person in Alaska confirmed to have contracted the H1N1 flu virus, also called swine flu, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services.

The state virology laboratory in Fairbanks conducted tests yesterday, and in a Thursday press release DHSS confirmed that the new flu strain has reached Alaska.

The patient, a middle-aged woman, first showed flu symptoms, including a fever, about two weeks ago, and a doctor diagnosed her with a possible cold. Initial tests turned up negative for the H1N1 virus, but a subsequent test conducted at the state virology lab tested positive.

The woman, who is currently traveling in the Carribean, has been contacted by state epidemiologists investigating how she contracted the virus. They're hoping to identify any contagious individuals whom she may have come into contact with.

She was reportedly feeling OK and said she had recovered from her earlier flu symptoms. Her three family members were also in good health.

There have been fewer than 20 deaths from the flu in the U.S. and more than 100 worldwide.

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10439499

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Alaska - confirmed case H1N1

Fairbanks woman contracts swine flu

(05/28/09 11:18:19)
A middle-age woman from Fairbanks is the first person in Alaska with a confirmed case of swine flu, but where she got it is a mystery. State health officials said Thursday the woman, whose name was not revealed, had not traveled out of state before contracting the virus about two weeks ago. She had no known contact with anyone with the disease, and the source is unknown.

"We're trying to get that information," said Dr. Joe McLaughlin, the Alaska state epidemiologist. "It would not be surprising to me if she contracted it from somebody who was traveling to Alaska from another state, or possibly from another Alaskan who got it from traveling in the Lower 48, or it could possibly have just been circulating in Fairbanks or in Alaska for weeks and was under the radar screen."

The woman herself is now traveling on the Caribbean. State health officials spoke to her Thursday.

"She says she's feeling well and has fully recovered,' McLaughlin said.

The United States now has more swine flu cases than any other country. It's spread mainly from person to person through coughing, sneezing or touching an object contaminated by a sick person, McLaughlin said.

Swine flu sickened a cruise-ship crew member recently aboard the Serenade of the Seas, which was in Alaska, but the illness developed outside the state, so it was not considered Alaska's first case. There is no indication the case on board the cruise ship is related to the case in Fairbanks, McLaughlin said.

He said the woman does not work outside the home and lives with three family members who have not contracted the virus. However, there likely are implications for the rest of the state, he said.

"It's highly likely it's circulating in Fairbanks and possibly elsewhere in the state," McLaughlin said.

There may have been a lag in the diagnosis because the woman also suffers from allergies. She traveled out of state one week ago but finally saw her health care provider May 21.

She was diagnosed with a cold, McLaughlin said, but her health care provider decided that because she had a fever, she should be tested for flu.

A "rapid influenza test" was negative but the health care provider also obtained a culture. A test on the culture proved positive Wednesday night at the Alaska State Public Health Virology Lab in Fairbanks, McLaughlin said.

People are thought to be contagious from one day before the onset of symptoms until seven days after, he said. The symptoms are the same as seasonal flu: fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

The severity of the swine flu -- or H1N1 -- strain seems to be similar to seasonal influenza, he said, and people at risk for more severe illnesses include people older than 65, younger than 5, pregnant women and people with other medical conditions. (????)Curiously, though, there have been few cases and no deaths in people older than 64, McLaughlin said.

If ill people should cover their nose with tissue when they cough or sneeze, then immediately throw the tissue in the trash.

The best way to avoid contracting the virus, he said, is to wash hands frequently or use hand sanitizer and avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.

Scientists are working on developing a vaccine for the flu but it likely won't be ready until the fall, said Dr. Jay Butler, the state's chief medical officer.

Alaska was the 49th state to have a confirmed case. Only West Virginia had no confirmed cases as of Thursday.
"We all knew is was coming," McLaughlin said. "It was just a matter of when."

Investigative work will continue to try to find the source, as well as to find who the woman may have met during the contagious stage.

Terry Schmidt, director of the virology lab in Fairbanks, said 516 specimens had been tested.

http://www.adn.com/life/health/story/811180.html

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Alaska - confirmed case H1N1

I sent an email to the state epidemiology dept., with info about novel H1N1 age ranges and a request to further clarify their statement that only the very young and very old are in danger from this flu.

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