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Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal
Developments on swine flu worldwide
Key developments on swine flu outbreaks, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and government officials:
- Deaths: 159 in Mexico, seven confirmed as swine flu and rest
suspected. One confirmed in U.S., a 23-month-old boy from Mexico who
died in Texas.
- Sickened: 2,498 suspected and 19 confirmed in Mexico. Confirmed
elsewhere: at least 93 in U.S.; 13 in Canada; 14 in New Zealand; five
in Britain; three in Germany; 10 in Spain; two in Israel; and one in
Austria.
- U.S. cases confirmed by CDC and state officials: 51 in New York, 14
in California, 16 in Texas, three in Maine; two in Kansas, two in
Massachusetts, and one each in Indiana, Ohio, Arizona and Nevada. CDC
also said Michigan had two, but state officials said only one was
confirmed.
- Texas Gov. Rick Perry issues disaster declaration, and state suspends all high school sports competitions until May 11.
- Some schools closed in Illinois, New York City, Texas, California,
South Carolina, Connecticut, Minnesota and Ohio. Mexico suspends all
schools until May 6.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration issues emergency guidance
allowing certain antiviral drugs to be used in broader range of
population if needed. Public health emergency declared and roughly 12
million doses of Tamiflu from federal stockpile to be delivered to
states.
- Egypt begins slaughtering nation's roughly 300,000 pigs as precaution.
- World Health Organization alert at Phase 4 of 6, meaning disease spreads easily but isn't pandemic.
-- The Associated Press
Three cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Maine, Gov. John Baldacci said at a press conference today.
The cases, including two in Kennebec County and one in York County, all involve adults who are being treated at home, said Baldacci and Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control.
Mills said the cases were confirmed this morning by testing at the disease control center's lab, and health investigators were still gathering information about the infected people, including their travel history.
The flu originated in Mexico, where authorities had confirmed 26 cases and seven deaths by Tuesday, according to the World Health Organization.
Baldacci said he had ordered an additional 500,000 treatment courses of anti-viral drugs, using $2.175 million in funds from the economic stimulus. Those drugs are in addition to up to 40,000 treatment courses the state will receive soon from the federal government.
Baldacci said he expects more cases to surface in Maine, and he urged residents to take steps to contain the flu by washing hands frequently, shielding coughs or sneezes and staying home if sick.
"It’s important to remember that everyone can make a real difference in helping to slow the spread of the flu," he said.
Mills also urged residents to keep up to date on flu information.
"This is a rapidly evolving situation," she said. "People need to stay informed, and people need to be prepared."
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, there are now 91 confirmed flu cases in 10 states, not including Maine.
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