Swine flu total in Florida reaches 23

May 08, 2009 02:11 pm

— Florida now has 23 confirmed cases of swine flu, the state Department of Health reported today. Cases have been confirmed in the following counties: one in Alachua, Clay, Indian River, Okechobee, Orange, Seminole, and Pinellas; two in Dade, three in Lee , five in Broward, and six in Hillsborough.
The increase in confirmed cases is primarily due to the cleaning of a CDC testing backlog of samples from probable cases previously submitted, DPH said.
New confirmed cases are:
Hillsborough: an 18 year-old male, a 21 year-old male, a 22 year-old male, a 19 year-old female, a 12 year-old male, and a 24 year-old female; Clay: a 15 year-old female; Okeechobee: a 27 year-old female; Indian River: a 15 year-old male; Alachua: a 19 year-old female; Seminole: an 18 year-old male; Pinellas: a 25 year-old male; Dade: a 13 year-old female; a 47 year-old male; Broward: an 11 year-old female, a 22 year-old female, a 3 year-old female, a 26 year-old female
We have 18 probables in the following counties: Manatee, Okaloosa, Palm Beach, Lake, Duval, Collier, Pinellas, and Marion have one probable case each. Lee and Sarasota has two. Broward and Dade has three.
CDC no longer recommends that communities with a laboratory confirmed case of influenza A H1N1 consider adopting school dismissal or childcare closure measures.
A public health emergency has been declared by the state Surgeon General.
A toll free information line has been established to address an increasing number of calls from the public requesting swine flu information. The number is 1-800-342-3557 and it is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.