Swine Flu Has Spread

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WHEELING - A 40-year-old Ohio County woman and a 13-year-old Marshall County girl are recovering from the swine flu. They are the first reported cases of the disease in the two counties.

Ohio County's case is recovering from the H1N1 virus at home, said Howard Gamble, administrator of the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department. And Marshall County's case also is believed to be recovering at home, said Ronda Francis, administrator at the Marshall County Health Department.

Gamble believes the woman contracted the disease while at a function in the south/central part of West Virginia. He did not know which county.

Francis said it is believed the girl contracted the virus while attending a summer camp June 20-27 someplace in Webster County. She believes the girl and the Ohio County woman may have been at the same camp. Gamble did not know at press time Wednesday if that is true.

"I can't confirm if our case and the case in Marshall County were in the same location at the same time," he said, noting his health department's investigation is not complete.

Both administrators reiterated the need for thorough handwashing and covering one's mouth and nose during sneezes and coughs. And if one is feeling flu-like symptoms - fever, cough, sore throat, chills, body aches, diarrhea, vomiting - they should stay away from other people and call their doctor.

"If you are sick, stay home. Don't try to save your sick days," Gamble said.

The contacts of both cases also are being monitored. Both administrators said, to date, the contacts had not developed symptoms.

"This is not unexpected," Francis said of Marshall County's first case.

To date, Wetzel and Hancock counties are the other Northern Panhandle counties to each have a reported case of the disease. Jefferson County in Ohio has had two reported cases of the virus that apparently originated in Mexico in April.

Francis believes the public has learned how to prevent the spread of the seasonal flu, and the same rules apply for swine flu.

"I think we've beaten the message into people's heads over the past three years on how not to get the flu," she said, noting practicing good handwashing techniques for most has become second nature.

Member Comments

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ltlangeli
07-03-09 12:02 PM »Report Abuse	Spreading misinformation is just as dangerous as the flu. Go to the CDC website: ***********cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm It clearly states "But further study has shown that this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. It has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and avian genes and human genes. Scientists call this a "quadruple reassortant" virus."
GoldenArm
07-02-09 2:04 PM »Report Abuse	Viruses do not discriminate, unlike EllisRacist.
EllisWyatt
07-02-09 6:59 AM »Report Abuse	"Originated in Mexico"-Food for thought.

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