1st Indiana swine flu case reported

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory Monday recommending people avoid unnecessary travel to Mexico because of the recent swine influenza outbreak.

“IU is following the information very closely,” said Diana Ebling, medical director at the IU Health Center. “So far no restrictions have been put on travel. It is just recommended.”

The outbreak has since spread to about seven countries, including the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Israel and the United Kingdom, said David Orentlicher, co-director of the Center for Law and Health at the IU School of Law-Indianapolis.
Only a few states have seen signs of the outbreak, including Indiana.

The CDC confirmed a University of Notre Dame student as having the first case of the virus in Indiana on Tuesday.

The case reported was mild, and health officials said the student has fully recovered.
That student had not recently traveled to Mexico, where the new flu strain is suspected of causing more than 150 deaths.

So far no other cases have been confirmed in Indiana.

Indiana was expected to have sent a total of about 30 viral samples to the CDC by late Tuesday for analysis to determine if they might be swine flu, said Elizabeth Hart, a spokeswoman for the state department of health.

Ebling said people began to take notice of the outbreak last week when the first cases were confirmed in California and Texas.

The virus received special attention because it is a strain never seen before.
“That’s partly what’s causing the concern,” she said. “It does not appear that the flu vaccine that people got this year will provide protection against the illness.

People would also not have immunity to this strain because it is a new virus.”
Orentlicher said a high percentage of deaths have been reported in Mexico, but only mild cases have been seen in other countries.

“One reason people are especially concerned is that young, healthy people have been seen among the people dying,” he said. “But so far that isn’t the case in other countries, which is more reassuring.”

Even with the single case reported in Indiana, Steve Chaplin, a University Communications representative, said students do not need to take extreme precautions, such as avoiding classes or crowded events.

The IU Health Center is primarily inviting students to participate in common sense precautions, such as covering mouths when they cough, washing hands properly, avoiding touching the nose, eyes and mouth and avoiding shaking hands with other people, Ebling said.

The most common symptoms are coughing, body aches and a fever of more than 100 degrees, Ebling said.

Other symptoms can include vomiting and diarrhea.

Most cases only last up to a week, and medicine can be taken to shorten the number of days.

“We want people to be informed,” Ebling said. “And we will continue to update the health center Web site. I know they will be coming out with recommendations for students as it gets closer to the time when they will be going overseas to study abroad.”

– The Associated Press Contributed to this report.