2 local patients being tested for swine flu

By LEANNE TOKARS, WSBT-TV Reporter

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Two patients at The South Bend Clinic showed possible signs of swine flu on Monday, April 27, 2009. Doctors are awaiting test results from the state. The St. Joseph County Health Department says it has been preparing for a flu pandemic since 2005. (WSBT photo)

By WSBT News1

Story Created: Apr 27, 2009 at 5:08 PM EST

Story Updated: Apr 28, 2009 at 2:10 PM EST

SOUTH BEND — The government declared a public health emergency after 40 confirmed cases of the swine flu in the United States. Most of those are New York City students who recently returned from Mexico.

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Now health departments across the country are sending test samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as concern spreads over this new strain of flu.

The symptoms of the swine flu are much like the regular seasonal flu, and it can be spread in much the same way.

There have been no confirmed cases in Indiana, but the Indiana State Department of Health sent two flu specimens for tests at the CDC.

When it comes to the swine flu, Kailin Gray said, “I'm not really too concerned about it."

That’s what local health officials are hoping for right now. “We want to watch this closely, but there's no need to panic,” said Dr. Jesse Hsieh at Granger Family Medicine.

Instead, Dr. Hsieh says awareness is key.

On Monday, two patients at The South Bend Clinic showed possible symptoms. Doctors are now waiting on further testing from the state to determine if those patients have the swine flu or some other strain.

But if you're getting nervous, Dr. Hsieh says there are some key issues to keep in mind.

"The big issues are: Did you travel? Have you been around anyone who has traveled that has been sick? Not just traveling, but someone who traveled and has been sick. Have you been exposed to that?" explained Dr. Hsieh.

The University of Notre Dame plans to send out information to its students, faculty and staff. A university spokesman says they haven't had any concerns yet.

Across the state health departments are also on alert.

"With the way viruses and diseases travel and the way we have so much travel history, I think it's only a matter of time before our state sees some cases," said Kelly Jolliff, emergency preparedness supervisor at the St. Joseph County Health Department.

The St. Joseph County Health Department has been preparing for a flu pandemic since 2005.

The state health commissioner, Dr. Judy Monroe, said Indiana is prepared for a possible pandemic with more than 651,000 doses of antiviral medicines on hand.

"We do have plans in place for how we would respond to a pandemic situation; however, this isn't," Jolliff said. "We don't want people to panic because we are not at that point at this time."

Health officials say you should protect yourself like you would from the normal seasonal flu. That includes washing your hands often, covering your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough, and avoiding close contact with sick people.

State health officials call this outbreak fluid and say changes are happening daily, so it's best to keep up-to-date on the CDC's Web site. Click the link in the Related Content box for more information.

If you have questions, you can also call United Way's 211 hotline for information related to the swine flu.

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