Third case of probable swine flu infection found in Iowa

DES MOINES - State officials have identified a third probable case of the swine flu or H1N1 virus in Iowa, this time a man Marshall County, and have ordered state troopers to guard the state's supply of anti-virals and help distribute them.Officials are still waiting for final test results from the federal Centers for Disease Control on what they say are two probable cases in Des Moines and Clinton counties.

The infected Marshall County man had traveled to parts of the United States where there have been confirmed cases of H1N1 and is being isolated at his home so he doesn't expose others.

Gov. Chet Culver said the state will proceed as if the probable cases are positive to prevent the flu from spreading. Culver said more than 90 percent of probable cases sent to the CDC for testing have come back positive.

"We're taking any and all steps to make sure that we manage and deal with this situation in the best interest of all Iowans," Culver said.

If any of the cases turn out to be positive, Culver has said he will implement a state public health disaster declaration in Iowa.

The disaster declaration would allow state officials to purchase and distribute anti-virals and other medical supplies and deploy public health response teams. It also allows the state to take measures to stop the spread of disease, including isolation or quarantine of infected people.

Testing at the CDC's national laboratory is taking longer than state officials had expected because of a backlog of cases from around the country.

Iowa Department of Public Health Director Tom Newton said it is now taking states 2-4 days to get results back.

Newton stressed that the disease being experienced by people in the United States is still quite mild but could change as the outbreak continues.

"People need to make sure they are striking a balance between taking precautions to protect themselves and loved ones while we learn about this new flu strain while still not causing undue alarm," Newton said.

Newton said one of the probable cases included the possible exposure to more than 50 residents at a long-term care facility. Local public health officials provided anti-virals to those who were possibly exposed.

In the other cases, local officials are contacting places where people had possible exposures to ensure they aren't ill, Newton said.

The state's supply of the anti-virals plus what is available from the federal government totals about 750,000 courses, and state officials said the don't fear hey will run out.

On Thursday, the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory tested 128 samples of suspected H1N1 virus to identify probable cases.

Earlier reports of suspected cases in Black Hawk County likely came from local county officials who said they had sent on samples to the state's lab from someone with flu-like symptoms, Iowa Department of Public Health Director Tom Newton said.

"At this point, the three probable cases (in Des Moines, Clinton and Marshall counties) are the only three probable cases that we've been able to identify through the testing (at the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory)" Newton said.

The CDC is working to share its technology with labs across the country, and officials are hopeful that the U of I lab could do the confirmatory tests the CDC is now performing, which would shorten the wait for results, Newton said.

Updates on the situation in Iowa can be found at www.idph.state.ia.us