Although there have been no confirmed cases of swine flu in Wisconsin, state and University of Wisconsin officials are taking measures to prepare in the event of an outbreak.
According to Seth Foldy, state health officer, there have been 10 suspected cases of the flu around Wisconsin. A majority of the people suspected of having the virus recently traveled to Mexico for spring break, however, none of them tested positive for the flu as of Monday morning.
“Swine flu is a type of influenza. … It’s pretty common in pigs all the time. This virus has combined part of the genes from the pig virus with some of the genes from human virus,” Foldy said.
As a result, Foldy added the virus may spread through human populations more successfully.
Symptoms of the flu include a fever greater than 100 degrees, body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion and, in some cases, diarrhea and vomiting.
People who have traveled outside of the country or to Texas or southern California recently are at a higher risk for the virus. Those who have had recent contact with people who have traveled in those areas are also at an elevated risk.
The first cases of swine flu in the U.S. were reported in late March and early April in southern California and San Antonio, Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
As of 2 p.m. Monday, the CDC reported 40 confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S., with seven in California, two in Kansas, 28 in New York City, one case in Ohio and two cases in Texas.
According to a statement by the World Health Organization, in addition to the 40 cases in the U.S., there have also been six reported cases of the virus in Canada, one in Spain and 26 confirmed cases in Mexico, including seven deaths.
Although WHO is not advising countries to cease travel to prevent the spread of the disease, they have advised ill passengers traveling internationally to seek medical attention.
To help with preparation measures, Wisconsin will receive an extra stockpile of anti-viral medication from the federal government. The medication will be an addition to the anti-viral medications the state already has, Wisconsin Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake said.
According to Timberlake and Foldy, the state has been preparing for a pandemic outbreak for years.
At UW, officials have been monitoring the virus since Friday afternoon. The university has a pandemic plan in place based off CDC and state guidelines should the virus begin spreading around the campus community.
According to Sarah Van Orman, executive director of University Health Services, the university plans to keep students updated through e-mail alerts.
If students are infected, they can go to UHS for treatment, according to an e-mail sent to university students Monday afternoon.
In the e-mail, Van Orman encouraged students to practice procedures such as hand washing to help prevent the virus from spreading.
— Signe Brewster contributed to this report
