One case of swine flu has been confirmed on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The Washington State Department of Health Web site, www.doh.wa.gov/swineflu/default.htm, listed one confirmed case in Jefferson County today.
Neither Jean Baldwin, director of the Jefferson County Public Health Department, nor Dr. Tom Locke, health officer for Jefferson and Clallam counties, could be reached for more details today.
State health officials said that the lone cases in Jefferson and Kittitas counties are among the 58 new cases confirmed today. There are now 574 confirmed swine flu cases in Washington state, most in King County.
Locke posted a statement on the Jefferson County public health Web site at www.jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/ today, saying, “Swine flu is spreading across Washington state, as predicted, and has reached the Olympic Peninsula.
“Children and adolescents are more susceptible to this new virus, while older individuals appear to have some immunity from seasonal flu strains that circulated in the past,” the statement said.
Locke urged parents to watch children for signs of illness, adding that any child a temperature of more than 100 degrees, and a sore throat or cough should be kept home from school for at least a week.
Adults also should stay home until they have recovered, he said in the statement.
Swine flu can also present with diarrhea and vomiting.
People with severe fever, persistent vomiting, or increasing difficulty breathing should be seen by a health care provider, the statement said.
“Medications are available to treat severe cases of swine flu, and are best started in the first two days of illness,” Locke said.
Both Jefferson County and Clallam County have on hand allocations of the federal strategic stockpile of antivirals, which are available for those seriously ill with swine flu.
The virus, although quick to spread, has been mild, according to the World Health Organization. Worldwide, it has sickened at least 11,168 people in 42 countries, and caused 86 deaths, most of them in Mexico, where it was first reported last month.
One person in Washington state, a 30-year-old Snohomish man with other health problems, has died from complications of the flu. His death was reported earlier this month.
