Three new swine flu cases confirmed in Rock County
The Rock County Health Department isn't taking additional precautions after three more cases of swine flu have been confirmed.
Officials continue to tell people to use common sense—wash their hands often, cover their mouths and noses when they sneeze or cough and stay home when they're sick.
Still, the five swine flu cases discovered in Rock County come from around the county, so officials now consider the infection "widespread," said Karen Cain, public health officer.
The health department announced three new confirmed cases of H1N1, commonly known as swine flu, Wednesday. Two "probable" cases were discovered earlier.
The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene now has the equipment to confirm cases, leading to quicker confirmation. Before, only the federal government could confirm cases.
The two probable cases previously discovered most likely are awaiting confirmation at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cain said.
The department is not releasing where the flu patients are from to protect their identities.
The most recent cases involve an adult and a preschool-aged child, Cain said. She did not know if the adult has children.
Officials still are investigating how the two new patients contracted the illness and if they're connected to the two earlier cases, she said.
Milton High School was closed Monday and Tuesday after officials learned Sunday that a student had contracted the illness. It reopened Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that schools no longer have to close because of suspected cases.
The state hasn't discovered any new cases among Milton students, though it still has many samples to test, Cain said.
About 10 percent of the specimens sent to the state are deemed probable cases, Cain said.
About 95 percent of the probable cases are confirmed.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Wisconsin had 176 probable cases and 26 confirmed cases of swine flu.
May 8, 2009 at 3:16 p.m.
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I sneezed in class today and people looked at me like i was carrying the plague.
May 8, 2009 at 12:49 p.m.
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Trojan, no matter how much people say things, some people just don't get it! It makes a person wonder so many things, but my first thought was what their living environment looks like!
May 7, 2009 at 11:32 p.m.
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When I was at work today, a customer coughed right at me. She didn't cover her mouth or anything. Thanks!!!!! I kind of expect that from kids, but this was a grown woman with kids of her own!
May 7, 2009 at 5:14 p.m.
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It's worth noting that Illinois has more of the US cases than any other state -- double either California or Texas. Also, the number of cases confirmed in the US is doubling every two days right now.
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