The novel H1N1 swine flu virus looks like it’s going to hang out in the United States all summer, epidemiologist Dan Jernigan of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at a press conference today. “Influenza season normally has ended by now, however the novel H1N1 continues in the United States,” said Jernigan. “We’re anticipating that we will see the novel H1N1 continue with activity probably all the way into our flu season in the fall and winter.”
CDC testing now shows that 89% of the influenza virus still circulating in the United States is the novel H1N1 strain. Jernigan said the northeastern part of the country continues to see increased numbers of swine flu cases, and it may be related to the cooler climate in that region and influenza’s penchant for lower temperatures. He said in the areas hardest hit by the virus, it appears to infect about 7% of the populations. “Clearly there are hundreds of thousands of cases that have occurred in the U.S.,” he said.
The press conference also focused on a study about the virus in healthcare workers coming out tomorrow in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The study closely examines 26 of these cases and finds that half likely were acquired in a healthcare setting. “Probably the single most important thing is that infectious patients be identified at the front door,” said Michael Bell, the CDC’s associate director of infection control. He said healthcare workers also have to be reminded to take time off if they have flu-like symptoms.
Many cases of swine flu now are occurring in summer camps, and the CDC has posted on its Web site a “guidance” that describes how best to prevent the spread of the virus in those settings. In particular, any children or staff who develop a case of influenza-like illness before camp starts are asked not to attend for at least seven days after their illness began.
—Jon Cohen
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