Another case of swine flu brings Jeffco total to four

Jefferson County Department of Health headquarters in Lakewood.

LAKEWOOD: Jefferson County’s fourth swine flu victim was added to the state’s list of confirmed cases Thursday.

The state Department of Public Health now lists 35 confirmed cases in Colorado.

Two of the Jeffco victims attend Excel Academy in Arvada. The school was the first in the state to close in response to swine flu.

The state Department of Health said it no longer will list whether the cases originate after exposure to the disease outside Colorado because it is spreading within the state.

State health officials have submitted lab samples from other possible Colorado victims and are awaiting test results from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

Schools in New York and Texas also have closed because of the flu, but the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta earlier this week backed away from its recommendation on school closures.

Jeffco Department of Health spokeswoman Nancy Braden said the agency has been fielding calls form schools for nearly two weeks.

“When we get calls (from schools), we are having our epidemiologist talk to them … as schools – or anyone – call us, it provides us an opportunity to make sure that they have the latest guidelines on the H1N1 virus,” Braden said.

The spread of the flu within a household is expected, Braden said.

Jefferson County last week received its share of anti-viral drugs from the state, one of 13 Colorado counties that received the medication. It will be reserved for people who are ill and is not available as a preventative, Braden said. 

Heightened public awareness also is reflected in the number of calls for information as well as quite a few from folks who think they have swine flu.

“And we expect that will be continuing until people really understand what the symptoms are, Braden said. “But the main thing for us right now is for people to follow the guidelines: wash your hands frequently, cover your cough, stay home if you get sick. That’s probably the biggest one.”

As of Thursday, there were 2,371 laboratory-confirmed cases worldwide and 42 deaths. The CDC said 896 cases had been confirmed in the U.S.

The state agency issued guidelines for schools and day-care centers in hopes of corralling the spread of the disease, suggesting that anyone with symptoms be sent home “until 24 hours after the symptoms are resolved.”

The warning signs of the illness, which don’t surface until after the victims is contagious, are similar to those of most flu strains: fever greater than 100 degrees, head and body aches, sore throat, cough, congestion, chills, fatigue and stomach problems.

Braden suggests that people displaying those symptoms go home and call their doctor.

Although the disease has been fairly mild in most victims, serious concern remains over its pandemic spread.

” What we are concerned about is that this is a new virus. It’s a virus that’s never been seen before, it’s spreading from person to person and it is spreading across the globe,” Braden said.

“When we start seeing it in more and more people, then there’s a potential that some people will come down with a more serious form.”