Less than a month after the first confirmed case in the V.I., the number of people infected with the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, has jumped to 44.
In a brief interview Tuesday, Dr. Eugene Tull, epidemiologist for the V.I. Department of Health, stated that he had just received paperwork regarding another swine flu case but had not been able to confirm whether it was a duplicate or a new case. The first case in the territory was identified June 16.
Out of those 44, 18 cases are on St. Croix, 25 on St. Thomas, and just 1 on St. John, with 58 percent of the patients being female and 42 percent male. A little over half of the cases are persons under 20 years of age.
The majority of the confirmed cases have been diagnosed in the territory’s hospitals as people seek treatment for symptoms. “Of all of the cases we’ve had,” said Tull, “no one, to my knowledge, has been seriously ill. We have only had maybe one or two hospitalized.”
Acting Health Commissioner Julia Sheen and other health officials have recently returned from a swine flu summit held at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. The focus was on preparedness for a resurgence of the virus come fall, and plans for vaccinations.
Studies with experimental doses of the new swine flu vaccine are set to start in early August. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, one of the cabinet officials leading the summit, a vaccine could start to roll out in mid-October if all goes well.
The government estimates that 1 million Americans have been infected with the virus, with approximately 170 reported deaths.
The Supplemental Appropriations Bill that President Barack Obama signed into law last month provided nearly $8 billion for H1N1 preparedness programs, and the territory will receive a portion of that funding.
Health officials are asking those with symptoms such as high fever, sore throat, fatigue, and cough to seek medical attention and stay at home.
