The Texas Department of State Health Services today announced that swine flu has been confirmed in two 16-year-old boys from Guadalupe County near San Antonio.
One became ill on April 10, the other on April 14. Their illnesses were relatively mild. Neither was hospitalized. Both have recovered. Though the boys are friends, it has not been determined how either became infected.
Laboratory test results received today from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the illnesses were caused by a swine influenza A (H1N1) virus. Preliminary lab data suggests that the virus closely matches the viruses from recent swine flu infections in human cases from Southern California.
State public health officials are investigating to determine if any close contacts of the boys have become ill and are asking hospitals, doctors and others in the area to be especially alert for other possible cases.
DSHS and local public health agencies in Texas were already involved in a CDC-led swine flu investigation because one of the two original cases from Southern California, a 10-year-old boy, traveled to Dallas for an extended visit with relatives. No additional cases connected to the boy have been confirmed.
Initial information from the investigation of the two teenagers' illnesses indicates no recent travel and no connection to the boy who traveled to Dallas from Southern California.
Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to those of regular or seasonal flu and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Health officials say the public should follow standard precautions to reduce the spread of any respiratory illness.
- Stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others.
- Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or a tissue and properly dispose of used tissues.
- Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Posted by Scott W. Yates, MD, MBA, MS, FACP
