Officials suspect six cases of swine flu in Maryland

BREAKING NEWS:

Maryland health officials have announced six probable cases of swine flu in the state, including two children.

John Colmers, state secretary of health and mental hygiene, said that a family of three in Anne Arundel County may have developed the disease after being in contact with another uninfected family member who recently traveled to Mexico. Another three suspected cases have been reported in Baltimore County, including two family members and another unrelated case.

Mr. Colmers said one of the children with the flu goes to Milford Mill Academy in Baltimore County, while the other goes to Folger McKinsey Elementary School in Anne Arundel County.

Gov. Martin O’Malley said that there are currently no plans to close the schools where the two suspected children attend.

The spread of the virus in the United States and the first death in the country attributed to the swine flu prompted President Obama to urge school officials with confirmed or suspected H1N1 cases to “strongly consider temporarily closing so we can be as safe as possible.”

The toddler who died of the infection came from Mexico and was visiting family in Texas, a Houston health official said Wednesday morning.

Dr. David E. Persse, Houston’s EMS physician director, said the 23-month-old and his family arrived in the United States on April 4 by taking a commercial flight from Mexico City to Matamoros and then crossing the border into Brownsville.

Dr. Persse said the boy then “rapidly” became ill, was admitted to a Brownsville hospital and transferred April 14 to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston before dying Monday night. Officials also said the boy had underlying health problems and did not contract the illness in Houston.

The University Interscholastic League has suspended athletic activity throughout Texas until May 11.

Mr. Obama also said local and school officials should stay “vigilant” by identifying suspected cases and reporting them quickly.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, speaking at a Wednesday morning news conference during her first full day on the job, said that while it’s difficult to predict what the virus will do next, “we expect to see more cases, more hospitalizations, and unfortunately we’re likely to see additional deaths from the outbreak.”

Mrs. Sebelius said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified “virus reference strains” of the flu and are working on a vaccine.

“We’ve begun the process, we’re in full gear, and the process is more speedy than it’s ever been,” she said.

The number of confirmed cases Wednesday in the United States increased to 91 in 10 states, up from 64 in five states Tuesday, said Dr. Richard E. Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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