H1N1 Influenza (swine flu) Update: as of 11:00 a.m. on May 20, 2009

UPDATE ON CASES:

DPH today confirmed 22 additional H1N1 influenza (swine flu) cases in Massachusetts. This brings the confirmed case count to 193. Two of the newly confirmed cases were hospitalized. The total number of hospitalizations is 15.

The total number of hospitalizations may continue to fluctuate over the next few days as records are updated to reflect the new CDC definition of “hospitalizations.” The new definition includes only those cases that were hospitalized for longer than 24 hours.

As the number of cases in Massachusetts continues to increase, the focus on individual case counts becomes less important than examining overall trends. Therefore yesterday, DPH shifted away from listing individual cases of confirmed H1N1, and began listing aggregate cases by county. DPH will also provide data on age distribution of cases and an aggregate count of hospitalizations in the state.

Please note that DPH continues to work closely with health care providers and local public health departments on community level prevention activities.

Flu outbreaks evolve in unpredictable ways; it is impossible to know whether this outbreak will decrease, remain the same, or grow in coming weeks, and whether the illness will remain at its current severity which, on the whole has been relatively mild. Some severe cases may occur in people with underlying risk factors such as young children, the elderly, and people with chronic medical conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and DPH are watching closely for signs of increased severity of the H1N1 influenza (swine flu), and will continue to monitor and report on any developing trends.

Because there is no vaccine for H1N1 influenza, public health officials remind all Massachusetts residents to continue taking simple steps to keep themselves and others healthy.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Cover your cough with a tissue or cough into your inner elbow and not into your hands.

• If you are sick stay home from work and if your child is sick keep them home from school for 7 days, or 24 hours after your symptoms go away—whichever is longer.

• Stay informed about the latest developments on the H1N1 flu.

For more information on H1N1 flu (swine flu) please visit www.mass.gov/dph.

Download information on cases from 5-20-09.

Comments

[Suffocation Blues]

Your state health officials (and doctors in general) are incompetent to handle anything more than a splinter in the toe or something of that magnitude.

I became ill in a very similar manner over 10 years ago. It was even before SARS, but I caught a disease from a very sick and uncaring co-worker that was very similar in effects to SARS. (Even the name SARS is a stupid redundant acronym invented by the medical community. Shows their level of intellect.)

Since I had asthma, allergies, etc. at an early age (but they had long since disappeared I thought) I expect they would say I had """"UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS"""". Funny the army didn't see it that way back in the 70s. Hmmmm. At any rate, my life was ruined and I have been unable to breathe in any real capacity for the past 10 1/2 years. I cannot participate any longer in what you would call "life" or even "job" due to my ill health.

I rant and rave and rail at the idiots that call themselves the medical community since their condescension and general abuse of patients like myself is legendary. They cannot help me more than I have already helped myself by finding alternative (and some conventional) medications. I cannot live without 20 to 30 pills a day. All this due to a very careless and unconcerned co-worker. I was stupid and did not sue since I was told I could not sue someone for passing on an illness.

I have much too much first-hand information about this situation as it happened to me over 10 years ago. This time around, if I catch this plague, I will not survive it. Even a common cold to me is a major threat to existence (as are pollen, mold, etc.).

I am also allergic to most known asthma drugs which is a complicating factor.

Thus, the term "had underlying health problems" would more than apply to me, but I don't want my epitaph to read "Died of swine flu due to careless transmission caused by failure of viral containment." Looks like if I am not hypervigilant (now some of you others can understand that term) of others' health that I will surely succumb.

Congrats to all you health people. You have utterly failed. All I have to show for your efforts is to suck wind 24/7/365, 24/7/366 in a leap year and suffer daily with issues of poverty and horror. All I can say is I don't want to die in vain over some stupid virus that wasn't properly contained.

Now top THIS comment why don't you???? Too bad it's true.

[CT]

I quite agree. It's even inconvenient to get the information relevant to the flu. I am a single mother and have a little kid at home. I barely know how to protect my kid from the flu. The government is doing nothing to protect common people. We are blind, and don't know when and where we will run into the flu.

[SC]

At this point these confirmed numbers serve a misleading role, more than anything else, since the state has discouraged testing, only testing in the most severe cases, potentially a large number is not being detected. Based on the number of schools closing down, the epidemic is real.
It's unfortunate that the government became complacent once the earlier cases showing low fatality, and didn't take aggressive quarantine measures as other populous countries have done.
Today we have about 5 schools closing down.
At this point of the game, if the 20% percentage illness from schools serve as an indication, we're going to see a significant jump in sick people before things settle down, calling it H1N1 or not.
Our society is just too slow or unwilling to do the right thing, and often prefers to look the other way. These behaviors are terribly self-destructing.