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Arnold Schwarzenegger - Source: ONE News -
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California's top health officials are saying the state expects
to find more cases of the new strain of flu that has killed up to
60 people in Mexico and infected eight in the United States,
calling the outbreak still "largely a mystery."
California, home to six of the US cases, said it was coordinating
with federal and international officials in what Gov Arnold
Schwarzenegger called a "rigorous and thorough" response to the
still-unfolding health crisis.
"When you start looking more intensely you are likely to find more
cases," said Dr Gil Chavez, director of the Center for Infectious
Diseases at the California Department of Public Health and the
state's chief epidemiologist.
"There's evidence of possible human-to-human transmission going on,
so the more we look the more we are likely to find," Chavez told
Reuters in an interview.
Chavez said the state was studying the profiles of the cases so far
found and ramping up testing of hospitalised patients in an effort
to understand the outbreak.
"We are watching this very closely. Its largely a mystery. Its very
unusual whenever you have as many as even six cases (of swine flu),
that's very, very rare," Chavez said.
"To have that happen in six unrelated instances in California and
have none of those individuals having come in contact with each
other is very unusual so we are very much trying to stay on top of
it," he said.
Chavez said that because symptoms of the new strain of swine flu so
closely resemble more common respiratory flu strains, it was likely
other cases had not been detected.
Health officials were advising Californians to take precautions and
had alerted hospitals across the state to use "extreme infection
control" measures.
Chavez said even stronger steps, including monitoring those
crossing the border or even quarantines, could be considered
depending on the extent or severity of the outbreak.
"This is something we believe we identified early and have
responded to very aggressively and we are taking every step
necessary to solve the mystery," he said.
Schwarzenegger said California had requested extra flu experts from
the US Centers for Disease Control and was expanding lab testing
and testing and monitoring of animals. The state has activated its
Joint Emergency Operations Center and been in communication with
officials in Mexico.
The governor advised Californians to take "common-sense" steps to
avoid contracting the flu, including covering the nose and mouth
when sneezing, washing hands often with soap and water and avoiding
close contact with others.
Four of Mexico's suspected cases have been reported in Mexicali,
which shares a border with California.