Howard County family members are latest probable cases of H1N1 flu

The two probable cases of H1N1 flu that Missouri health officials discovered late Friday involve a father and son from Howard County who had recently traveled to Mexico, according to a May 2 news release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Margaret Donnelly, director of the DHSS, said Saturday that both patients had been notified of their condition and were being treated with antiviral medication.

The father and son were experiencing flu symptoms and were advised to stay at home for the next week to avoid spreading the illness.

Local health officials were notifying people who had contact with the two patients.

Those who might have been exposed were advised to see their medical care provider at the first sign of illness because the medication is most effective when taken within the first two days after symptoms begin.

The two cases were found during testing of specimens sent to the State Public Health Laboratory by doctors whose patients reported flu-like symptoms.

Tests showed that the flu virus afflicting the two patients is a previously unseen type.

Specimens from each patient will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation that it is the swine flu that has now spread to at least 20 states, including Missouri.

The discovery of the two probable cases came the same day that the CDC confirmed Missouri's first case of swine flu, which is also known as the 2009 H1N1 virus. The virus has sickened at least 160 people nationwide, but most cases have been relatively mild.

The first Missouri case involved a Platte County woman in her 30s who also had recently traveled to Mexico, where the virus first emerged. In addition, Nebraska authorities say that a Kansas City resident who was in Nebraska to obtain medical care for another condition may also have the same H1N1 virus.

State officials cautioned that isolated cases of swine flu were a concern, but not cause for alarm. They said the state has a plan to deal with flu outbreaks and local health agencies and state officials are following that plan.

In response to the virus' presence in Missouri, the Department of Health and Senior Services has overseen the distribution of medical supplies and antiviral medications to every county in the state. These supplies will bolster private supplies already available in pharmacies, hospitals and medical clinics.