Latest Swine Flu Update: Number Of Confirmed Swine Flu Cases In EP County Remains At 7
EL PASO COUNTY — El Paso County has seven confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, city officials said at a news conference Tuesday. Six are students at area schools.
As of 1:45 p.m. Thursday, city health officials said the number of confirmed cases remains at seven.
El Paso ISD officials confirm that a 6-year-old boy at Cooley Elementary and an 11-year-old boy at Roberts Elementary have confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu.
Socorro ISD officials confirm that a 15-year-old boy at Socorro High School, a 14-year-old boy at Desert Wind Elementary, an 8-year-old girl at Hurshel Antwine K-8 school and a 14-year-old boy at Socorro Middle School have confirmed cases of H1N1 flu.
The other confirmed case is that of a 32-year-old man in East El Paso.
Local superintendents said schools will not close due to the outbreak, but any students with flu symptoms will be sent home immediately.
Public health officials said all seven of those infected with H1N1 are recovering or have already recovered well.
Health officials said seven of the positive H1N1 flu tests were in the original batch of eight they sent to the Centers for Disease Control last week.
There are still an additional 14 possible cases. According to the El Paso Department of Public Health, they are:
A 26-year-old male from East El Paso A 30-year-old female from East El Paso An 11-month-old female from East El Paso An 11-month-old female from East El Paso A 16-year-old female from Franklin High School A 39-year-old male from East El Paso A 11-year-old female from Carroll T. Welch Elementary School A 13-year-old female from Desert Wind Elementary School A 14-year-old female from Franklin High School A 22-year-old male from East El Paso A 31-year-old male from East El Paso A 17-year-old male from Americas High School A 2-year-old male from East El Paso A 17-year-old male from Eastwood High School
All probable cases are either recovered orrecovering well, according to city health officials.
Officials said they are expecting more confirmed cases in the coming days.
However, local leaders say they are prepared for that possibility. They say they are monitoring the situation very closely.
Should the situation change, their strategy will as well. For now, officials are asking the public to remain calm. They remind everyone that this is a mild flu and is not much different from the seasonal influenza we are more familiar with.
Local leaders and health officials said they would not be surprised if El Paso’s warmer forecast helps out.
“I think that there will probably be more confirmations but the good news is that we are in the warmer months and as the months get warmer this influenza will dissipate and it won’t be as easily contracted.. So time is fortunately on our side,” said County Judge Anthony Cobos.
Cobos said as a precaution, the district clerk is suspending passport processing for three weeks.
Officials said the virus could come back stronger in the fall but that there is plenty of time to prepare for that.
For more information:
Texas Department of State Health Services: (888) 777-5320
The public may also call 211 24 hours a day.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The University Interscholastic League said Wednesday that teams could resume games Thursday after originally calling off all competition until Monday.
The state’s governing body for high school sports said its move was based on the state’s recommendation to reopen all schools.
Rescheduled regional track meets that were already announced will keep their new dates, with the state track meet to follow June 5-6 in Austin.
The state softball tournament will still be held June 4-6 in Austin, but the baseball tournament has been moved back a week to June 10-13.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – The New Mexico Activities Association says high schools around the state may resume athletic team practices now that health officials have determined school closures are no longer necessary. The decision was announced Wednesday morning.
DONA ANA COUNTY — No new confirmed or probable cases of H1N1 flu were reported in Dona Ana County on Thursday, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. Two probable cases were reported Tuesday, in an infant girl and a 14-year-old girl.
The condition of both continued to be listed as “under investigation” by the Department of Health on Thursday.
No new confirmed or probable cases of H1N1 flu were reported in New Mexico on Thursday. Five more confirmed cases and one new probable casein New Mexico were reported Wednesday, for a total of eight confirmed cases and 20 probable cases of H1N1 flu statewide, New Mexico Department of Health officials said.
* = change in status
*27-year-old male Recovering Confirmed
Infant female Under investigation Probable
14-year-old female Under investigation Probable
*25-year-old female Under investigation Probable
*17-year-old female Recovering Confirmed
*22-year-old female Recovering Confirmed
24-year-old female Recovering Probable
7-year-old male Recovering Probable
39-year-old male Recovering Probable
57-year-old female Under investigation Probable
*17-year-old male Recovering Confirmed
15-year-old female Under investigation Probable
9-year-old male Under investigation Probable
5-year-old female Under investigation Probable
8-year-old female Under investigation Probable
15-year-old female Under investigation Probable
15-year-old male Under investigation Probable
16-year-old female Under investigation Probable
15-year-old female Under investigation Probable
11-year-old female Recovering Probable
41-year-old female Under investigation Probable
19-year-old male Under investigation Probable
14-year-old female Recovered Confirmed
14-year-old male Recovered Confirmed
12-year-old female Under investigation Probable
10-year-old male Under investigation Probable
*15-year-old female Recovered Confirmed
18-year-old male Recovered Confirmed
A total of 241 samples have been tested so far out of 299 received.
For more information:
H1N1 Influenza Hotline 1-866-850-5893 (for all questions about H1N1 influenza)
Nurse Advice Line 1-877-725-2552 (for people with symptoms only)
Spanish callers 1-800-784-0394
JUAREZ — No new confirmed cases of H1N1 flu had been reported in Juarez as of Wednesday afternoon, according to Juarez health officials. Two confirmed cases were reported late Friday.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Health officials told lawmakers Wednesday it took only two weeks to identify the genetic characteristics of swine flu, and they are in good position to quickly produce a vaccine if the flu takes a turn for the worse.
At the same time, the officials cautioned members of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that there are still elements of what they called the novel 2009 H1N1 influenza virus that they don’t understand, and it was not time for complacency.
CDC has confirmed more than 640 cases in the U.S., and states are reporting at least 11 not yet on the CDC list.
CDC and World Health Organization figures show two deathsin the United States, both in Texas.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – Haitian officials rejected a Mexican aid ship carrying 77 tons of much-needed food aid because of “unfounded” swine flu fears, Mexico’s ambassador said Wednesday.
The Mexican navy ship El Huasteco was to arrive May 2 in Port-au-Prince carrying rice, fertilizer and emergency food kits to help the impoverished country respond to chronic hunger and devastating tropical storms.
But Mexican Ambassador Zadalinda Gonzalez y Reynero said Haitian officials told her April 29 they would not accept the ship, which was still in Mexican waters near the Yucatan peninsula at the time.
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Dozens of Mexican nationals quarantined in China despite having no swine flu symptoms arrived home Wednesday on a government-chartered jet, some complaining of “humiliation and discrimination” by the Chinese. But as Mexicans emerged from their own five-day swine flu shutdown, the death toll rose and many remained fearful.
Mexico City showed more of its usual ebullience during a raucous morning rush hour. Thousands of newspaper vendors, salesmen hawking trinkets and panhandlers dropped their protective masks and added to the familiar din of truck horns and street music. Cafes accepted sitting customers, and many corporate offices reopened.
Mexico announced a jump in the confirmed death toll Wednesday to 42 after testing backlogged cases. It also confirmed 1,070 other cases of infection.
