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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Big Island gets first 2 swine-flu cases; 12 more on Oahu brings state to 58

Advertiser Staff

The Big Island has gotten its first two cases of swine flu and O’ahu has added 12 more, the state Department of Health announced today.
Since May 5, a total of 58 confirmed cases in the state have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Five of the new cases are school-age children on O'ahu who attend Aikahi Elementary in Kailua, Iliahi Elementary in Wahiawa, Kapolei Middle School, Mililani Middle School and Nanakuli High and Intermediate. All of the cases are mild, the Department of Education said today.
Mililani Middle previously had a student and an adult infected with swine flu.
Until this morning’s announcement, the only non-O’ahu case involved a resident of Maui who contracted swine flu in Washington state.
The two patients from the Big Island are school-aged children who are not attending school at this time, health officials said. One acquired the illness while traveling in another state and the other had contact with a confirmed case, health officials said.
Out of the 14 new cases, six are adults and eight are school-aged children. All of the people involved in the latest cases have recovered or are recovering at home with no complications, health officials said.
Of the 12 confirmed cases on O’ahu, two school-aged individuals acquired their illness while traveling in another state; one school-aged individual had contact with a previously confirmed case; and one adult had contact with a previously confirmed case.
“The number of cases is not alarming since we know community transmission is taking place,” Health Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino said in a statement. “To date, this novel H1N1 virus is behaving similar to seasonal flu and individuals are recovering at home with no complications. It is important that we continue to carefully monitor the severity and spread of this flu strain.”