Friday, May 1, 2009

Virginia reports cases of swine flu

RICHMOND — A man and a woman from Virginia contracted swine flu from recent trips to Mexico and have recovered after mild cases, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Thursday.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that one man from eastern Virginia and a woman from central Virginia contracted the illness, Health Commissioner Karen Remley said.

"This is an evolving situation, so people still need take it very seriously," Remley said.

Neither patient required hospitalization, she said, and both are otherwise healthy adults.

Citing patient privacy, Remley and Kaine refused to be more specific about the patients, including characterizing them as young, middle-aged or elderly. Remley narrowed down the location of the man to the Hampton Roads, Peninsula or Northern Neck regions of the state.

Virginia is the 12th state to have flu cases confirmed by the CDC, bringing the total to 111 cases nationally. Officials in eight states have confirmed an additional 19 cases.

Twelve deaths in Mexico and one in the United States have resulted from confirmed cases caused by the virus, an outbreak the World Health Organization calls a pandemic.

"Given the size of the state's population (and) the seasonal travel patterns we see in Virginia and elsewhere, and the ease with which the flu virus is spread, we think it is likely there will be additional cases," Kaine said.
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