Monday, May 18, 2009 1:20 p.m.
An offshore oil worker who died at a Little Rock hospital tested positive for several strains of flu, potentially meaning swine flu contributed to his death, authorities said Sunday.
Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper said the 28-year-old went to the hospital Friday night for treatment and died early Saturday morning. Camper said tests came back positive for more than one strain of the flu, requiring his office to explore whether swine flu played a part in the death.
Camper declined to identify the man, who he said suffered from flulike symptoms for six weeks before seeking medical attention. The coroner said the man’s body would undergo an autopsy Monday at the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock and further tests would be conducted.
Camper said investigators were still trying to piece together when the man came inland and whether he had traveled to Mexico or any other area affected by the virus recently.
“We just don’t know what his travel history is,” Camper told The Associated Press. “It’s hard to tell what those guys’ travel histories are.”
Dr. James Phillips, an epidemiologist with the Arkansas Department of Health, said the information he received about the man’s death made it sound unlikely the man had the swine flu. Typically, most flu cases don’t last longer than a week, with two weeks on the outside if a person is reinfected by the virus, he said.
However, Phillips said samples from the man likely would be sent along to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
“We’ll just have to wait and see,” the doctor said.
So far, Arkansas has had six confirmed cases of swine flu since the outbreak began several weeks ago. One came from Saline County, one was a school-aged child in Lawrence County and four others came from Pulaski County from a group of National Guard airmen visiting from Nevada and New Jersey.
Phillips has said more cases likely will be detected as the virus continues to spread, though the coming summer weather likely will end the outbreak. The total number of U.S. swine flu cases rose Friday to 4,714 in 46 states and the District of Columbia, according to the CDC. Four deaths in the U.S. have been attributed to the illness.
hat-tip thebes
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