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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

News State Health Department Testing For Swine Flu

Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 3:52 PM

State health officials are testing 40 medical samples taken from patients with flu-like symptoms in the last week to determine if any of them should be sent to the CDC to be tested for swine flu.

According to Washington State Health Department spokesman Gordon MacCracken, doctors have forwarded the samples to the state, which is tested them at a facility in Shoreline. "Sometimes [we] can determine what a strain isn’t but they can’t say for certain what it is," MacCracken says. "Those are the ones that we send to the CDC."

MacCracken did not know how many of the samples were taken from King County.

At a City Council briefing on swine flu earlier this afternoon, King County Health Department officials reiterated that no cases of the flu have been confirmed in the state, but that health care providers are being overwhelmed by people calling in with mild flu-like symptoms.

The county says it has 190,000 courses of anti-viral drugs on hand, and says it can treat about 25% of the population.

Update: According to King County Health Department spokesman James Apa, 30 of the 40 cases being tested by the state originated in King County.

"Given the infections we've seen around the country, it wouldn't be surprising if we find cases in King County," says King County Health Department spokesman James Apa. "But even if we do find it, it doesn't necessarily mean that we'll see severe illness."

Comments (11) RSS

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Given the theory that this has been around for a few weeks and the particularly nasty post-winter sick going around Seattle for about a week and a half, I'm guessing if one sample comes back as positive for Swine Flu, there'll be a slight panic until cooler heads prevail.

Dun dun DUNNNNN.

Posted by Baconcat on April 29, 2009 at 3:55 PM

@2: "until cooler heads prevail"

Your optimistic take on things is charming.

Posted by Ackham on April 29, 2009 at 4:35 PM

Ackham, I'd never dare give a timeline to the cooler heads prevailing part. It would have to happen eventually, even if it took the carpet bombing of Bothell to accomplish such a goal.

Posted by Baconcat on April 29, 2009 at 4:40 PM

One can't spell PANDEMIC...

without PANIC.

Posted by Ackham on April 29, 2009 at 4:58 PM

The state should be testing people to see if they consume pig and bird carcasses. They are the cause of this outbreak, and they should be jailed, fined, and rehabilitated.

Posted by Stop it now on April 29, 2009 at 5:16 PM

#5 Message brought to you by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Beef. It's what's for dinner.

Posted by Shut up, herbivores. on April 29, 2009 at 5:36 PM

Does anyone else hear a high-pitched buzzing sound?

Posted by Fnarf on April 29, 2009 at 5:53 PM

It is interesting that two of the people in my office have had a horrible respiratory problem in the last couple of weeks. One started way back in February, and the other just a few weeks ago. Both still have nagging coughs, although the February sicko is much better than the few weeks ago sicko.

Posted by Office Worker on April 29, 2009 at 6:24 PM

I have absolutely no evidence because I never saw the doctor, but I think I had a variant of the swine flu last month. The symptoms began on March 26th, and I maintained a fever above 100 degrees for four days (102 maximum temperature). I was extremely weak for two of those days, only conscious for 6-8 hours per day. I'm in great health and had never been that sick in my life! Maybe the virus I had made it to Mexico and mutated?

I remember reading an article in the PI a week or two before that about a particularly nasty flu that kept >10% of King County students out of school that week.

Posted by pissymelissy on April 29, 2009 at 9:06 PM

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44033…
!~!!!!!!!!
why is this not on slog yet

Posted by dc on April 29, 2009 at 9:21 PM

Seattle school district just called to say a kid at a Madrona school was suspected to be infected, but hey - he wasn't in school when he was infectious. It went on to repeat the wash your hands, etc lecture.

Posted by Gamer Girl on April 29, 2009 at 9:42 PM