May 1, 2009 7:09 pm US/Eastern
4 More Confirmed Cases Of Swine Flu In Mass.
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There are four more cases of H1N1 influenza, also referred to as swine flu, in the state of Massachusetts, the Department of Public Health said Friday, bringing the total to six cases.
Three of the cases are out of Middlesex County. Their ages are 47, 9 and 14. Of those, one is out of Weston and another is out of Bedford. The fourth case is a 34 year old from Plymouth County. The 9 year old is the only patient who has been hospitalized.
The DPH is not releasing specific towns and cities where the cases are confirmed because they want to protect the privacy of the patients. They say it will be at the discretion of those towns to release information if they choose to do so.
CASES IN WESTON & BEDFORD
The town of Weston announced Friday evening one of the cases is an adult Weston resident. They say the patient is recovering at home and is expected to be OK.
Bedford schools Superintendent Dr. Maureen LaCroix said the 9-year-old student who was hospitalized attends Lane Elementary School. LaCroix said the sick student is doing well.
LaCroix said because the student had not been at school since April 17 when classes were let out for spring vacation no classes will be cancelled.
BOTTOM LINE: H1N1 IS HERE, PREVENTION IS KEY
Dr. Al Demaria with the DPH said none of the new cases in Massachusetts are connected with each other. He said the bottom line is that the H1N1 virus is here, and people need to do what they can to reduce transmission.
People who are experiencing flu-like symptoms should stay home. Hand-washing is the best defense against catching the swine flu. Health officials say people should cover their mouths when coughing with their arm or elbow instead of with their hands.
Watch:
How people are protecting themselves
DPH officials said none of the confirmed cases are associated with
Harvard's dental school or
Amherst College where there are "probable" cases of swine flu.
All of the new patients with confirmed cases are recovering. Officials warned there will likely be more confirmed cases in the state over the next few days.
The two previous cases are out of Lowell where two children became sick after taking a trip to Mexico.
Nationwide, there are 142 confirmed cases in 20 states, according to the Center for Disease Control.
Samples from several individuals in Massachusetts were being tested by the CDC to determine if they are positive for swine flu.
Read: More Swine Flu Resources
HARVARD MEDICAL CAMPUS
Two students at the
Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston have 'probable' cases of swine flu, or H1N1 flu. Seven students who had contact with those two are also exhibiting flu symptoms and are being tested.
The Boston Public Health Commission announced Friday that they are treating the Harvard dental school as a possible "cluster" of H1N1.
Some of the students with suspected cases did treat a "small number" of patients while they were symptomatic. Those patients are being contacted.
The dental school has been closed until May 6, and the clinical duties of all dental school students, as well as Harvard Medical School students have been canceled through May 6.
LOGAN AIRPORT
On Friday, a plane flying from Munich, Germany to Dulles Airport outside of Washington, DC was diverted to Logan Airport when a
passenger displayed flu-like symptoms.
That female passenger was taken off the plane and transported to Massachusetts General Hospital.
FRAMINGHAM
The MetroWest Daily News reports that the MetroWest Medical Center has sent samples of a patient treated at the hospital for Influenza Type A to the CDC. It is unclear if the patient, whose identity has not been released, has swine flu. Officials are awaiting test results.
AMHERST
There are at least
two "probable" cases of swine flu at Amherst College. School officials say that number could be has high as six. Two students have tested positive for Type A Influenza at the college, and four other students have flu-like symptoms. Test results are pending.
AIR STATION CAPE COD
The U.S. Coast Guard tells WBZ that a member stationed on Cape Cod has a confirmed case of influenza. He is now in isolation while they determine whether his flu is the H1N1 strain.
The ill man is a member of the Port Security unit at Air Station Cape Cod. It was not disclosed where he may have traveled previous to becoming ill.
BROCKTON
In Brockton, the city health department confirms there are
two individuals with suspected cases of swine flu. Test samples were sent to the state health department, which in turn were passed to the CDC for further testing.
LOWELL
On Wednesday,
two brothers from Lowell were diagnosed with Massachusetts' first confirmed cases of swine flu. City officials say nobody that the boys had contact with has shown any flu-like symptoms.
By comparison, this winter there were 14,000 diagnosed cases of traditional seasonal influenza, according to statistics from the state.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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