May 28, 2009
US case count reaches 8,585
The number of confirmed and probable novel H1N1 cases in the United States has risen to 8,585, up 658 since yesterday, an official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today at a media briefing. One more death was reported, raising the total to 12. Though the number of new cases across the nation is receding, increases are occurring in New York and New Jersey, as well as in the Pacific Northwest.
[CDC H1N1 press updates]
Wyoming reports first novel flu illness
Wyoming has reported its first H1N1 flu case, in a 13-year-old boy in Laramie County in the state's southeastern corner, the Associated Press (AP) reported yesterday. State health officials said the boy had a fairly mild illness and was recovering at home; they did not know how he contracted the virus. The case leaves West Virginia and Alaska as the only US states with no confirmed cases.
[AP report]
Arizona, Illinois report fatal H1N1 cases
Arizona recorded its fourth death due to H1N1 flu yesterday, while Illinois reported its second and third. In Arizona, a pre-teen girl in Pima County (the Tucson area) died, according to an AP story. The state had 534 cases of H1N1 flu yesterday. In Illinois, the Chicago Tribune said a woman from northwestern Cook County died, while an AP report from Geneva said a 42-year-old man succumbed. Both victims had other health problems. The Tribune said Illinois has had 976 confirmed cases.
[AP report on Arizona case]
Australia orders vaccine as cases mount
Australian health officials said they were ordering enough doses of H1N1 vaccine to cover 10 million people, as cases rose to 103, up from 61 yesterday, Bloomberg News reported today. The government ordered the vaccine from CSL Ltd. Ian Barr, deputy director of a public health lab in Melbourne, said the novel virus is now the main flu strain being identified in Australia, but it is too early to say if it is "truly community-wide," according to the story.
[May 28 Bloomberg report]
Chile says H1N1 flu is entrenched as cases surge
Chile reported 46 new cases of novel H1N1 flu, raising its total to 165, and officials said the virus is firmly established in the country, Bloomberg News reported today. The new virus, which was first confirmed in Chile 10 days ago, now accounts for 90% of flu cases in the country and may be replacing seasonal flu, officials said. The health ministry said it is changing its H1N1 strategy from containment to mitigation, canceling airport screening.
[Bloomberg report]
Slovakia, Romania report first H1N1 illnesses
Slovakia and Romania have reported their first cases of the novel H1N1 flu, according to media reports. The Slovakian case is in a 37-year-old man who arrived May 22 from the United States and was quarantined in a Bratislava hospital, Deutsche Presse-Argentur (DPA) reported. In Romania, the case involved a 30-year-old woman who had returned from the United States May 23 and went to a hospital May 26, according to a Xinhua report. Her family members also were quarantined at the hospital.
[DPA report]
