New Swine Flu Emerges in Iowa, Vaccine Already Developed
A new strain of swine flu emerged as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed three new cases in Iowa children earlier this week.
The disease originated in pigs and health officials are still examining whether the disease could spread from person to person.
The CDC said in a statement yesterday that three new Iowa cases raise the total number of people infected in the United States to 10.
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Nine of the 10 humans infected were children, and the remainder was a 58-year-old, according to the CDC. Three cases were reported in Iowa, two in Maine, two in Indiana and three in Pennsylvania.
The three Iowa children were all in contact with each other but have had no known contact with pigs. The cases were discovered over the past 3 weeks, and the swine flu has left the victims with fevers.
"We have pretty good evidence of person-to-person spread," said Medical Director for the Iowa Department of Public Health Patricia Quinlisk to MSNBC. "None of the children or anyone around them had exposure to swine, turkeys or other sources."
Quinslik said the new H3N2 virus is nothing to worry over.
"People need to be most concerned about the regular, everyday seasonal flu," she said.
However, officials are not taking any chances as a new vaccine was formed and sent to drug makers.
It’s “part of routine preparedness measures to counter possible pandemic threats posed by novel influenza viruses in the event that they gain the ability to spread easily from person to person,” announced the CDC.
The new swine flu's symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, body aches and loss of appetite.
An H1N1 pandemic spread worldwide in 2009. The strain was originally found in patients in California and Texas.
Health officials are advising people to wash their hands often and keep away from germs to avoid the disease.
