Four cases of swine flu confirmed in metro-east

Four metro-east residents were diagnosed with swine flu this week and are being treated by their doctors.

In St. Clair County, a 13-year-old boy and a 45-year-old man were infected, according to Brenda Rhodes, the county's director of infectious disease prevention services.

Rhodes said Wednesday that the two patients are "asymptomatic at this time" and are being treated with antiviral medication under the care of their private physicians.

One of the cases was confirmed Friday and the other Wednesday. The two patients do not have a familial relationship, Rhodes said.

"Right now we cannot say how the disease in either case was contracted," Rhodes said. "We just know that influenza is circulating."

In Madison County, a 12-year-old boy and a 32-year-old woman have the virus, according to Amy Yeager, the county health department's public information officer and health promotion manager. Both cases were confirmed this week.

Each county's health department will conduct routine communicable disease investigations in their respective swine flu cases.

"Because of the number of confirmed cases in Illinois and several in the surrounding region, this was not unexpected and is no cause for alarm," said Kevin Hutchinson, executive director of the St. Clair County Health Department.

The total number of confirmed and probable cases in Illinois was 2,875, with 12 deaths, as of June 25, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. These state totals did not include the four local cases.

There were 27,717 confirmed and probably cases and 127 deaths in the United States and territories as of June 25, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We would like people to take preventative health behaviors and do the same basic things that they should be doing anyway," Yeager said.

The "clean, cover and contain" reminder means that everyone should wash their hands; cover their coughs and sneezes; and contain their germs by staying at home if they are sick, avoiding those who are sick and not touching their own eyes, nose and mouth.

For more information on H1N1, or swine flu, visit the Web site for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga. at www.cdc.gov, or the state Web site at www.idph.state.il.us; or contact St. Clair County at www.health.co.st-clair.il.us or 233-6175; or Madison County at www.madisoncountyhealthdepartment.org or 692-8954.