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CDC Sees 'Encouraging' Swine Flu Signs

Strain is not particularly virulent yet, but that could change

May 4, 2009

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Doctors at the Centers for Disease Control say they see “encouraging signs” where swine flu is concerned, but remain cautious. As of Sunday afternoon, there were 226 confirmed cases of swine flu in 30 states. One person in the U.S. has died from the disease.

Briefing reporters in Atlanta Sunday, the CDC’s Dr. Ann Schuchat, interim deputy director for the science and public health program, said the H1N1 virus has not proved particularly virulent, though she cautioned it's too soon to know exactly how it will play out.

“We do think this virus is widespread across the United States,” Schuchat said. “More people are getting flu. More people are being tested for it, and most of those people are recovering. We think that very few of the cases we have confirmation in are over 50. They tend to be people who are younger. Whether this will pan out over the weeks ahead, we don't know, but at this point it's a pattern that looks a little bit different from seasonal influenza.”

Schuchat said the best way for people to protect themselves from the H1N1 virus is the same way we protect ourselves from seasonal flu — washing our hands, staying home when we're sick, not traveling when we're ill, keeping our kids out of school, and staying informed.

“We're trying to build on lessons that we've learned from the past, from outbreaks like SARS, totally new viruses that were spread through the respiratory route that the world community were able to contain and respond to effectively," Schuchat said.

“We're also building on all that we have been studying over the past few years related to the pandemic preparedness and the pandemic influenza experiences of the past, but it's important for people to remember that no single act can interrupt this virus. It's going to take a combination of actions,” she said.

Schuchat indicated CDC scientists may be switching gears, preparing to deal with H1N1 again in the fall, when the new seasonal flu season begins again. About this time of year, flu cases begin to lose momentum. The CDC would like to have a vaccine in place to head off H1N1 by the time the next flu season begins.

In Mexico, where the virus apparently began, health officials have revised downward the number of deaths from the flu and expressed optimism the spread is slowing.

“I'm heartened by the Mexican authorities' reports, but I am very cautious,” Schuchat said. “I know that influenza can be surprising and that the time course here in the United States is later. We believe we're just on the upswing here and that in several parts of Mexico cases began quite a while ago, several weeks ago, so it's good news that we've only confirmed one death and we have 30 hospitalizations at this point, but it's too soon to say the extent of this disease.”

Schuchat said the disease has not run its course in the U.S. and predicted that, not only would there be more cases, but more severe cases. She also said he expected more than the one death so far attributed to swine flu.

Find out everything you need to know about swine flu.

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