New Mexico The Latest State With Suspect Swine Flu Virus Infections

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson officially announced early Wednesday that the state health department is awaiting test results of two cases that they believe are indeed the swine flu. Health officials have sent test samples into the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and are expecting to hear back before the weekend about whether they suspicions are correct. At this point, with the swine flu, also referred to as the Mexican flu, cannot be tested for in state labs and is thus resulting in all samples being sent to the CDC. The CDC has instructed all state health authorities to send any samples that are not 100% ruled out as being the swine flu.

The two suspected cases involve a one year old male from Santa Fe Count and an eighteen year old male adult from Valencia County. Both cases have been mild, up to this point, and the adult male was not even hospitalized.

New Mexico has two probable cases of swine flu and state officials are awaiting confirmation of testing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New Mexico’s Health Secretary Dr. Alfredo Vigil was quick to point out that we are in a time of great concern but not in a time of panic. He wanted people to be sure to realize that although the disease is spreading quickly, in most cases, death is not occurring but rather only minor symptoms are being seen.

Health official in New Mexico have not yet pursued tracking down the potential source of the swine flu among these two individuals because there cases have not yet been confirmed as the swine outbreak virus. At this point it is unclear as to whether or not either of these people had traveled to Mexico recently.

The two individuals with suspected cases of the swine flu are currently being treated with either Tamilfu or Relenza, which are the two antiviral drugs that have proven effective in fighting it. New Mexico and many other states have reported having plenty of this medication available and each state is also receiving their share of 11 million doses that had previously been stockpiled by the United States government.

It is important to note that the swine flu H1N1 has caused death and will continue to cause deaths but people have failed to realize that death is common even among individuals infected with the normal human flu. At this point there is not anything significant to be concerned about regarding the cases outside of Mexico. The only mystery is why death was so rampant among Mexicans that were infected.