H1N1 confirmed in Putnam 
County

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PRINCETON — A case of H1N1 flu, commonly called swine flu, has been confirmed in Putnam County.

Diana Rawlings, director of the Bureau/Putnam Health Department, said a 49-year-old woman tested positive for H1N1 flu earlier this week through a test sent to the Illinois Department of Public Health laboratory. The woman had not been hospitalized but had sought medical treatment for the flu.

The health department is working closely with IDPH and the Centers for Disease Control to monitor H1N1 and to keep residents informed, Rawlings said.

According to the IDPH Web site, seven cases of H1N1 flu have been confirmed in LaSalle County, directly east of Bureau County. Another case has been confirmed in Whiteside County, to the northwest of Bureau County.

On Wednesday, Pat Lebahn, communicable disease coordinator for the Bureau/Putnam County Health Department, said H1N1 flu could be in Bureau County, but in cases not severe enough to seek medical treatment or hospitalization. The local health department will keep the public informed of any upgrades or news about H1N1, Lebahn said.

In her press release on the Putnam County H1N1 case, Rawlings said people need to be vigilant and take a shared responsibility to minimize the spread of the H1N1 respiratory flu and to protect themselves. The basic health precautions are to wash hands often, cover coughs and sneezes, and to stay home if sick, she said.

The symptoms of H1N1 are similar to regular seasonal flu, such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, Rawlings said. People with those symptoms should stay at home and limit their contact with others to avoid infecting them, she said.

People should also discuss their symptoms with their healthcare provider. If a person has difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, he/she should seek immediate medical attention, Rawlings said.

There are certain people who are at higher risk for serious flu-related complications, the local health official said. Those people include people 65 years or older, children younger than 5 years, pregnant women and any person with a chronic medical condition, such as asthma and diabetes.

In other H1N1 news, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 on June 11 in response to the ongoing global spread of the H1N1. A Phase 6 designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway. More than 70 countries have reported cases of H1N1 flu.

The pandemic alert level deals with the geographic outreach of the H1N1 flu, not the severity of the disease, Lebahn said after the WHO announcement was made.

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