A 17-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy are detected the first two confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu, orswine flu, in the State of Florida, Governor Charlie Crist announced Friday afternoon.
The two cases are among the eight suspected A/H1N1 flu cases the state sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing, the Governor said, adding the state has not yet received word about the other six.
The Governor directed Ana Viamonte Ros, the state's surgeon general, to declare a public health emergency, empowering her to take any action necessary to prevent the flu's spread.
Viamonte Ros said the state has sent other suspected cases to the CDC for conformation. "We do expect to see more cases over the coming days and weeks," she said.
The 17-year-old girl case is from a student at Hallandale High School in Broward County, Viamonte Ros disclosed, adding the girl has a history of travel to Mexico, where hundreds have been sickened by the virus.
As the 11-year-old boy, the state's surgeon general said, he is a pupil at Spring Creek Elementary School in Lee County. Though the boy has no history of traveling abroad, there has been at least one additional case being tested in Lee County.
Dr. Viamonte Ros urged Floridians to take "simple preventive actions," such as coughing into arms instead of hands and contacting local health care providers with at the first sign of flu-like symptoms.
The CDC in Atlanta is swamped with suspected cases from around the country, but officials hope to have confirmation on the Florida cases as soon as Saturday, Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey said.
To deal with a potential outbreak, the state has sent protective gear, including masks, to hospitals and clinics, and has stockpiled about 500,000 doses of anti-virals.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends closing a school if there is a confirmed case of A/H1N1 flu at the school.
(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2009)
