Flu response winding down

Though it initially appeared to be a major health concern, state and local officials are winding down their public response to the spread of the H1N1 flu virus.

Now that Utah has its own test kits to type the flu, state epidemiologists should know by Friday afternoon how many of the 30 "probable" local cases are confirmed to have contracted the virus. And state officials said Wednesday that they have closed the joint information center established last week to provide immediate updates on the spread of the virus.

As of Wednesday afternoon, eight Utah cases had been confirmed. One of the "probable" cases — a young adult from Utah County — has been hospitalized in Las Vegas, according to Dr. David Sundwall, executive director of the Utah Department of Health.

He told reporters Wednesday that he expects the number of Utahns who contract the virus to continue to rise — and to spike later this week — as local testing to confirm the virus is done. But because symptoms in most people are no more severe than a seasonal flu, health officials will no longer be focusing on the numbers of H1N1 cases, he said.

"This is a turning point in our response" to the outbreak, he said, adding "we shouldn't be relaxed to the point where we think this is something in the past."

Sundwall still urged those who have flu symptoms to stay home to avoid spreading the virus, adding he expects people will continue to contract it, but "most cases don't even require ongoing medical attention," let alone hospitalization.

Initial reports coming out of Mexico about the severity of the disease and the number of deaths caused by it were not well-documented, but officials had to respond initially to what they were being told, he said.

As with any virus to which there is no natural human immunity, "the situation is always evolving and changing. I won't apologize if we come out with different recommendations," if they are warranted in the future, Sundwall said. "Because of our ability to research, we can be flexible."

Federal, state and local health officials on Tuesday recommended reopening schools that had closed to try to contain the spread of the virus.

Previously, the state had to send "probable" samples of the virus to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for confirmation, and as the number of cases nationwide grew exponentially, the length of time required for a confirmation grew, as well.

"The CDC has taken up to six days" to return a test, he said, adding the agency has given state officials the authorization to begin their own testing.