Saturday, April 25, 2009

More Southern Californians Infected with Swine Flue


Three more Southern Californians have been diagnosed with swine flu. Health officials say a total of five people in San Diego and Imperial counties have been infected with the virus. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.
 
The new local victims of swine flu were a man and his daughter in San Diego County, and a 41-year-old woman in Imperial County. Two teenagers in San Antonio, Texas have also become infected.
 
Health officials say the strain of the virus has never been seen before in the country.
 
Dr. Wilma Wooten is San Diego County's public health officer. She says it appears there's human-to-human spread.
 
"We have had person-to-person spread with the father and the daughter," says Wooten, "And also with the two teenagers in Texas, they were in the same school. So that also indicates person-to-person transfer."
 
Dr. Wooten says it's unclear how people were exposed to swine flu. She says none of the patients have had any contact with pigs.