One of the advantages to being married to someone on the front lines of emergent medicine is that I am privy to medical information sans the hype, idiocy and incorrect statements of the press and media. I can also get translations into the low English us Texans speak when I need it.
So, in a nutshell, here is the latest confirmed info on the swine flu situation (source: The Center for Disease Control).
There are ninety-one (91) confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States. The breakdown by state is as follows:
- Arizona — 1
- California — 14
- Indiana — 1
- Kansas — 2
- Massachusetts — 2
- Michigan — 2
- Nevada — 1
- NY City — 51
- Ohio — 1
- Texas — 16
There is one confirmed death from swine flu in Texas. This was a 22 month old child from Mexico who was sent to Houston, Texas for treatment. It has not been released whether the child was sick and transported from Mexico for treatment, or had traveled to the US prior to the onset of symptoms.
There are seven confirmed deaths in Mexico from swine flu. There are about 150 deaths thought to potentially be from swine flu, but these are not confirmed.
The numbers of infected and deaths is still at the level of standard influenza strains.
This is, of course, a highly fluid situation, and things are changing quickly, but as of the late morning of April 29, 2009, this is what we know.