PROVIDENCE – Two more probable cases of swine flu have been identified in Rhode Island, Providence Business News has learned, bringing the total number of probable cases of the virus in the state to three.
“What I can tell you right now is we have three probable cases that we have sent for testing to the CDC,” Annemarie Beardsworth, spokeswoman for the R.I. Department of Health, told PBN this morning. She declined to say where the two new cases were discovered.
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The CDC is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is monitoring the outbreak and conducting lab testing to confirm or deny cases of the H1N1 virus nationwide.
The news of two additional cases follows the announcement on Wednesday that a North Kingstown High School student who recently returned from a trip to Mexico is being tested and monitored for a possible case of the fast-spreading virus, which has stirred worldwide fears of the first influenza pandemic since 1968.
The 1968 pandemic killed an estimated 1 million people, while the famous 1918 outbreak may have killed as many as 50 million.
“We have no confirmed cases” in Rhode Island, Beardsworth added. “We won’t know that until we hear back from the CDC.” Test results are expected within the next 24 to 48 hours.
North Kingstown High has been closed for the rest of the week as a precaution.
In a statement issued yesterday, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri said: “It is critically important that the public be informed about swine flu and vigilant in practices to prevent infection and spreading, including washing hands, using sanitizer, coughing into your elbow. If anyone is experiencing flu-like symptoms or not feeling well, they should stay home from school and work, and seek medical attention.”
The Department of Health has established a Rhode Island Coordinating Task Force to monitor the swine flu situation in the state, while the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency has activated the State Emergency Operations Center at Level 2 to provide additional resources.
Beardsworth said Rhode Island residents should monitor the health department’s Web site, Health.RI.gov, to track the situation. The department has also set up a special hotline at (401)222-8022 which residents can call for information.
As of this morning, the World Health Organization (WHO) had confirmed 154 cases of swine flu in nine countries, with 94 cases in 11 U.S. states and hundreds more suspected or probable cases being tested around the clock, Bloomberg News reported this morning.
“It is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic,” Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, said Wednesday in Geneva, according to Bloomberg. “The biggest question right now is this: How severe will the pandemic be? All countries should immediately now activate their pandemic plans.”
The WHO has raised its pandemic alert level twice this week, from level 3 to level 5, which is “a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent.”
In Mexico, the epicenter of the crisis, the government says 159 people have died of swine flu, although only eight of those deaths have been confirmed with lab testing as having been caused by swine flu.
President Barack Obama has asked Congress for $1.5 billion to fight the flu outbreak and warned parents to prepare for school closings.
This article has been updated to clarify that the R.I. Department of Health has defined the three cases of possible swine flu in Rhode Island as “probable” and not “suspected,” which have two different meanings according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
