Swine Flu Update 051609

UPDATE: CDC update as of May 15, 2009, 11:00 AM ET

A New Influenza Virus

Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in April, 2009. The virus is infecting people and is spreading from person-to-person, sparking a growing outbreak of illness in the United States. An increasing number of cases are being reported internationally as well.

It’s thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread; mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus.

It’s uncertain at this time how severe this novel H1N1 outbreak will be in terms of illness and death compared with other influenza viruses. Because this is a new virus, most people will not have immunity to it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In addition, currently there is no vaccine to protect against this novel H1N1 virus. CDC anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this new virus in the coming days and weeks.

Novel influenza A (H1N1) activity is now being detected through CDC’s routine influenza surveillance systems and reported weekly in FluView. CDC tracks U.S. influenza activity through multiple systems across five categories. The fact that novel H1N1 activity is now detected through seasonal surveillance systems is an indication that there are higher levels of influenza-like illness in the United States than is normal for this time of year. About half of all influenza viruses being detected are novel H1N1 viruses.

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Alabama 55 cases 0 deaths
Arkansas 2 cases 0 deaths
Arizona 435 cases 1 death
California 504 cases 0 deaths
Colorado 55 cases 0 deaths
Connecticut 47 cases 0 deaths
Delaware 60 cases 0 deaths
Florida 68 cases 0 deaths
Georgia 18 cases 0 deaths
Hawaii 10 cases 0 deaths
Idaho 5 cases 0 deaths
Illinois 638 cases 0 deaths
Indiana 71 cases 0 deaths
Iowa 66 cases 0 deaths
Kansas 30 cases 0 deaths
Kentucky** 13 cases 0 deaths
Louisiana 57 cases 0 deaths
Maine 14 cases 0 deaths
Maryland 28 cases 0 deaths
Massachusetts 135 cases 0 deaths
Michigan 142 cases 0 deaths
Minnesota 36 cases 0 deaths
Missouri 19 cases 0 deaths
Montana 4 cases 0 deaths
Nebraska 27 cases 0 deaths
Nevada 26 cases 0 deaths
New Hampshire 18 cases 0 deaths
New Jersey 14 cases 0 deaths
New Mexico 68 cases 0 deaths
New York 242 cases 0 deaths
North Carolina 12 cases 0 deaths
North Dakota 2 cases 0 deaths
Ohio 14 cases 0 deaths
Oklahoma 26 cases 0 deaths
Oregon 94 cases 0 deaths
Pennsylvania 47 cases 0 deaths
Rhode Island 8 cases 0 deaths
South Carolina 36 cases 0 deaths
South Dakota 4 cases 0 deaths
Tennessee 74 cases 0 deaths
Texas 506 cases 2 deaths
Utah 91 cases 0 deaths
Vermont 1 cases 0 deaths
Virginia 21 cases 0 deaths
Washington 246 cases 1 death
Washington, D.C. 12 cases 0 deaths
Wisconsin 613 cases 0 deaths
TOTAL*(47) 4,714 cases 4 deaths