FLU UPDATE: CDC: 7 confirmed H1N1 cases in La. (Corrected)

[Jeremy]

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article...EWS01/90504018
FLU UPDATE: CDC: 14 confirmed H1N1 cases in La.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that there are now 14 confirmed cases of H1N1, or swine flu, in Louisiana.

At a press conference yesterday, Gov. Bobby Jindal announced seven confirmed H1N1 cases in Louisiana. Five were from Cathedral-Carmel students in Lafayette.


The Department of Health and Hospitals is working to confirm the additional seven confirmed cases and pinpoint where the cases are from, DHH spokeswoman Lauren Mendes said.

[Jeremy]

Re: FLU UPDATE: CDC: 7 confirmed H1N1 cases in La. (Corrected)

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/artic.../90504021/1060
BATON ROUGE – The Department of Health and Hospitals says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted an incorrect number of confirmed swine flu cases in Louisiana.

The CDC posts a daily count of cases and this morning shows Louisiana has 14 confirmed cases.

“That’s a mistake,” said Lauren Mendez, spokeswoman for DHH. “It’s still seven. They double-counted our seven confirmed cases.”


Mendez said DHH officials are working with the CDC in Atlanta to correct the error.

The state was informed yesterday that seven of the nine suspect samples from Louisiana residents proved to contain the H1N1 virus.


Five of the swabs were taken from sixth-grade students at Cathedral Carmel School in Lafayette. One of the students had recently visited Cancun, Mexico, on a cruise with her parents. Her father was the first to become ill but he quickly recovered.


The other two confirmed cases were in Orleans and Ascension parishes.

Of 800 samples submitted to DHH for testing after doctors and clinics determined that they contained Type A influenza, a state laboratory eliminated 388 because they could be “typed” with state equipment.

When the state can’t determine the type of Type A flu, the sample is send to CDC. The remaining 412 of the 800 samples are awaiting state testing.