Swine Flu in Massachusetts: An Update

Bostonist headed over to the Department of Public Health earlier today and found out a thing or two about swine flu. There are still no reported cases of the disease in Massachusetts; the CDC has announced 40 laboratory confirmed cases in the U.S. The DPH has received about two dozen reports of diseases with epidemiology matching that of swine flu. Most of these cases have tested negative, but the department is still investigating some reports.

Despite the hype about the illness, the DPH attempted to assuage fears. Dr. Al DeMaria said "swine flu in the U.S. right now is behaving much like ordinary flu," and not resulting in nearly as many deaths as Mexico has experienced. Though most U.S. cases have not been serious yet, the disease is a major cause for concern because it is a "novel strain of the influenza virus," but "we're hoping it will be limited to what we've seen already."

DeMaria added that the high number of severe cases in Mexico may mean that there are also many mild cases there that have gone unreported because "their capacity for surveying [cases] is limited to the very sick." Still, DeMaria noted, "outside of New York [where several cases were reported in the same public school] many cases are not connected" in the U.S., giving rise to uncertainty regarding how the cases were contracted.

Currently, there is no screening or quarantine in place for people returning from travel to Mexico or other areas of interest. The DPH recommends that anyone who's traveled visit a doctor immediately if symptoms (such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue) surface. If you have travel plans, be sure to check the CDC website for new recommendations before heading to the airport.

DPH Commissioner John Auerbach said that Massachusetts will soon be receiving antiviral drugs from the CDC, which has released a quarter of its supply thus far. Auerbach expects that the supply will be more than enough to deal with any cases that may result in the commonwealth: "all indications are that current stockpiles are sufficient." Auerbach added that the lack of pandemic protection funding that was stripped from the budget earlier this year is not yet hindering swine flu treatment and testing efforts, but in the future such protection will be "imperative in terms of having the flexibility to respond if needed to mobilize many medical and nursing volunteers."

Update update: If you have symptoms but don't have a health care provider, you can call the mayor's health line at 617-534-5050 for free.

Image by jere-me