FrenchieGirl
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Swine-flu testing to be curbed
The Miami-Dade Health Department says it will limit its testing for swine flu to a smaller group of patients which meets stricter criteria.
BY FRED TASKER
FTASKER@MIAMIHERALD.COM
The Miami-Dade Health Department is relaxing criteria used to test suspected cases of swine flu.
From now on, the department will only test for patients admitted to a hospital with flu-like symptoms and other ''individuals of epidemiological interest,'' such as those living in nursing homes, healthcare workers, children or college students who are part of an apparent flu outbreak.
Previously, the county collected samples of patients who exhibited flulike symptoms and met a wide range of criteria, such as having traveled to Mexico.
''Our labs have already tested 1,000 samples from all age groups; this is enough information for the Florida Department of Health to characterize the epidemic in Miami,'' Dr. Fermin Leguen, chief epidemiologist for the department, said Friday.
To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed two H1N1 flu cases in Miami-Dade: a 47-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl. A 91-year-old woman who had been listed as a probable swine flu case by the state health department does not have the flu, said Lillian Rivera, department administrator.
Miami-Dade now has three probable cases, a 27-year-old man and two girls, ages 6 and 16. Their samples have been sent to the CDC for further analysis, Rivera said. Broward has three probable cases and five confirmed cases, according to the state.
Though the H1N1 strain seems relatively mild, Rivera stressed the continued importance of hand washing, cough etiquette and staying home if sick.
Also marking a further decline in fears about H1N1 flu, Miami Children's Hospital on Friday deactivated a hot line used to answer questions about the virus.
The hospital's spokeswoman, Cristene Martinez, said the hospital has received fewer calls in recent days. ''The volume has gone down dramatically and everyone is not on alert as before,'' she said.
Miami Herald correspondent Jose Pagliery contributed to this report.
The Miami-Dade Health Department says it will limit its testing for swine flu to a smaller group of patients which meets stricter criteria.
BY FRED TASKER
FTASKER@MIAMIHERALD.COM
The Miami-Dade Health Department is relaxing criteria used to test suspected cases of swine flu.
From now on, the department will only test for patients admitted to a hospital with flu-like symptoms and other ''individuals of epidemiological interest,'' such as those living in nursing homes, healthcare workers, children or college students who are part of an apparent flu outbreak.
Previously, the county collected samples of patients who exhibited flulike symptoms and met a wide range of criteria, such as having traveled to Mexico.
''Our labs have already tested 1,000 samples from all age groups; this is enough information for the Florida Department of Health to characterize the epidemic in Miami,'' Dr. Fermin Leguen, chief epidemiologist for the department, said Friday.
To date, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed two H1N1 flu cases in Miami-Dade: a 47-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl. A 91-year-old woman who had been listed as a probable swine flu case by the state health department does not have the flu, said Lillian Rivera, department administrator.
Miami-Dade now has three probable cases, a 27-year-old man and two girls, ages 6 and 16. Their samples have been sent to the CDC for further analysis, Rivera said. Broward has three probable cases and five confirmed cases, according to the state.
Though the H1N1 strain seems relatively mild, Rivera stressed the continued importance of hand washing, cough etiquette and staying home if sick.
Also marking a further decline in fears about H1N1 flu, Miami Children's Hospital on Friday deactivated a hot line used to answer questions about the virus.
The hospital's spokeswoman, Cristene Martinez, said the hospital has received fewer calls in recent days. ''The volume has gone down dramatically and everyone is not on alert as before,'' she said.
Miami Herald correspondent Jose Pagliery contributed to this report.