No known cases of swine flu in Craven County

Thus far, tests of 15  suspected cases of swine flu in North Carolina have turned out negative, and of those left to study, none appears to be in Craven County.

Another 10 to 20 cases suspected in North Carolina still have to be tested, according to The Associated Press.

But they do not seem to be in Craven County, Health Director Scott Harrelson said Tuesday.

"They still wouldn't tell us where the cases are, but said that the health directors of the counties affected would be notified, and we have not been notified, so that is good news for us so far," Harrelson said.

The Pamlico County Health Department had not received any such notification either, said nursing supervisor Phyllis Buck.

"Thank the Lord, no," she said. "We are holding our breath and hoping it doesn't come our way."

It will likely be later today before state health officials can confirm whether there are cases of swine flu in North Carolina. While "suspect" cultures are first routed to the state lab in Raleigh, only testing done at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta can confirm whether the people showing symptoms do, indeed, have swine flu. But the state is functioning as though confirmation of some cases is likely.

"Push packs" of the prescription drugs Tamiflu and Relenza will be sent from Raleigh to Craven County and statewide by the end of the week. Those drugs are effective at treating swine flu, but the Centers for Disease Control has said that people should not try to take them for prevention.

Craven County Health Department is studying potential "entry points" for the virus here, particularly its own health clinic and the MERCI Clinic, Harrelson said. He said the health department is also asking farmers to be vigilant about monitoring workers who may have recently traveled to Mexico.

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 60 cases of swine flu had been confirmed nationwide, and Indiana joined the list of states affected. The others are California, New York, Ohio, Kansas and Texas.

The outbreak has its roots in Mexico, where thousands are believed to be symptomatic and more than 150 people have died.

Cases have also been confirmed in Spain, Canada and Scotland. While the virus is a respiratory disease in pigs, health experts say this particular strain is being passed by person-to-person contact and has not been found in pigs.

"There's no vaccine for it," Buck said. "But hopefully, having the regular flu shot or flu mist will help a person's resistance some in terms of warding off the swine flu."

Harrelson said the best thing that people can do to prevent infection is wash their hands frequently. Still, he stressed that the swine flu outbreak in the U.S. remains relatively mild.

"I think this is all over the place because it's a novel virus," he said. "But it's not killing people in droves."