State public health officials said today that they are focused on locations where new cases of H1N1 flu are being confirmed, not on keeping track of every person infected with the virus.
Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, director of health in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said that the actual number of cases of H1N1 flu in Kansas is actually higher than the 79 that have been confirmed by the agency and local health departments.
“While KDHE continues to report the number of confirmed cases, these case counts underestimate the actual number of infections,” Eberhart-Phillips said. “Not everyone who is infected seeks care and not everyone who seeks care is providing a specimen for testing.”
Phillips said the focus of public health workers should now be on where new cases of the virus are being detected, not on confirming additional cases in counties that already have reported several cases.
“Capacity for testing at the state public health laboratory is limited and has to be restricted primarily to identifying cases in counties not currently known to have widespread viral transmission,” he said.
On Wednesday, officials reported that Reno County had confirmed its first case.
The agency has stopped testing specimens from non-hospitalized patients in Johnson, Wyandotte and Saline counties, where there already have been several confirmed cases. Specimens from the Irwin Community Hospital at Ft. Riley in Geary County also will no longer be tested.
Eberhart-Phillips advised parents to be on the lookout for flu symptoms in their children as summer begins.
“Many cases of the 2009 H1N1 virus have occurred in children, and we know that any flu virus can spread more easily in group settings,” he said. “If your children show signs of illness, contact your family doctor or a local clinic and keep them home from summer camps, day cares or other group activities.”
Since the first two cases were reported in Dickinson County almost a month ago, health officials have warned that additional cases were expected. So far in Kansas, there have been no deaths and relatively few reported hospitalizations due to the illness.
Since the outbreak began, Riley County has reported the highest number of confirmed cases with 23. Geary County is next with 18, followed by Wyandotte County with 12 and Johnson County with 11.
Saline County has had seven reported cases.
The other counties with confirmed cases — Dickinson, Ford, Gove, Ottawa, Reno and Sedgwick — each have reported one or two.
Symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include:
• Fever greater than 100 degrees;
• Body aches;
• Coughing;
• Sore throat;
• Respiratory congestion; and
• In some cases, diarrhea and vomiting.
Officials said that those who experience the symptoms should contact their health care provider to determine whether testing or treatment is needed. There is no vaccine yet available to protect against the H1N1 flu virus, but there are treatments available once the infection is diagnosed.
KDHE has a phone number for Kansans to call with questions about the H1N1 influenza. The toll-free number is 1-877-427-7317. Operators will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Questions also can be e-mailed to H1N1fluinfo@kdheks.gov. Information is also available at www.kdheks.gov.