Number of confirmed swine flu cases swells in Cameron County
BROWNSVILLE — Now is not the time to let down the guard against the swine flu virus.
"It doesn't go away magically," said state health official Dr. Brian Smith as the number of confirmed cases in Cameron County of the H1N1 flu swelled to 135 at press time Friday.
Add those to another 57 probable cases, and the county's most recent tally soars to 192.
Cameron County's count was the highest in the state.
Hidalgo County was right behind, with 134 confirmed cases and 55 probable ones, for a total of 189 cases.
Three people with H1N1 have died in Texas, including a Cameron County woman, a Nueces County man and a toddler from Mexico City who died in Harris County.
The Texas Department of State Health Services also pointed out that it has confirmed 11 seasonal flu-associated deaths in children in Texas this season.
Smith, the regional director for the state agency, pointed out that even the regular seasonal-flu is an illness that is to be respected, "and that is why it is so important to be vaccinated."
His department is following the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's lead in including probable cases in the counts because 99 percent of probable cases are ultimately confirmed to be H1N1.
Starr County's total increased to 22 - seven probable cases and 15 confirmed cases.
Willacy County's total is holding steady at three.
There were 1,359 cases in Texas - 317 probable cases and 1,042 confirmed cases across the state.
"People will continue to get sick and I'm sure we will see additional deaths," Smith said. "It is moving to communities that did not have many cases."
"It is important for people who are sick to stay home," said Smith, noting that most people infected with the virus have experienced mild illness.
But people with flu-like symptoms who would be considered a high risk - such as pregnant women, the elderly and people with cancer, HIV, or heart and lung problems, as well as children under 5 - should be seen by a doctor, Smith said. Antiviral medication should also be considered for them.
School districts remain in close contact with the state health agency, Smith said. Closures might need to be considered if the absenteeism rate is more than 10 percent or school nurses report a large number of students with flu-like symptoms. But because the end of the school year is near, the question of closures might soon be moot.
As of press time Friday, the World Health Organization was reporting 11,168 confirmed cases of H1N1 in 42 countries, including 86 deaths.
The United States had the most, with 5,764 confirmed cases, including nine deaths, followed by Mexico with 3,892 confirmed cases, including 75 deaths. Adding probable cases into the tally pushed the U.S. total up to 6,552 cases.
The Texas health agency also has been tracking seasonal flu activity and reports that it is "widespread," meaning there have been increases in flu-like illnesses and recently lab-confirmed flu cases in at least half of the state's health regions.
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Emma Perez-Treviño is a reporter for The Brownsville Herald.
