Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

S.C. reports 'widespread' swine flu

COLUMBIA -- South Carolina is back among the list of states reporting the swine flu is widespread.

For the past few weeks, South Carolina has been among few states reporting the flu was regional, the second-highest level. But the level was upgraded for the week of Oct. 25-31. That will be included Friday in the weekly update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We had been hovering right there on the line," said Jim Beasley, spokesman for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

An infectious disease expert says the dip was artificial.

Dr. Helmut Albrecht of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine said the drop was largely due to delays in reporting, which involves family doctors and pediatricians relaying how many patients have influenza-like illnesses.

"Some of these practices have actually gotten so busy, they didn't turn in the numbers in time," said Albrecht, director of the school's infectious diseases division. "If they're really busy, and it's really widespread, that's not the first item on the agenda. ... We do have widespread activity."

He said the activity level can be deceiving anyway, since it's based on percentages.

"If suddenly you're seeing twice as many visits as some pediatricians are seeing right now, 6 percent of a whole lot more is still an incredible number," he said.

While the reporting involves flulike illness, the only flu seen in South Carolina now is the H1N1 virus, Beasley said.

He echoed what CDC Director Thomas Frieden said is happening nationwide.

"Flu continues to be widespread, and virtually all the flu we're diagnosing is still H1N1. So almost no seasonal flu yet," he said Tuesday.

In South Carolina, the only flu cases still being diagnosed by labs are hospitalized patients. Doctors are told not to wait on a lab; go ahead and treat patients with a positive rapid flu test for H1N1, Beasley said.

Albrecht called the caseload dramatic. Normally, at this time of year, there would be no flu activity in South Carolina, he said, adding the good news is a mild mortality rate.

While the H1N1 virus is a new flu strain, it has similar ancestors, which is why - in a flip of the seasonal flu - the young are susceptible, and they're more apt than the elderly to recover. People older than 80 seem "completely protected" from swine flu, while those above 60 are reasonably protected, he said.

South Carolina, and other Southeastern states, posted widespread flu activity before other regions because school starts sooner here, he said.

Albrecht's patients have included the 23-year-old soldier from Florida who died in September while in his fifth week of basic training at Fort Jackson. He was the Army's first death from complications of swine flu.

"At two months into basic, you're as run down as you'll ever be," he said, noting pregnant women are similarly vulnerable. "Pregnancy is the worst stress you'll ever put on a body. While they're normal and generally healthy, they're fairly limited in reserve to take an additional blow."

Since Sept. 1, there have been 622 patients hospitalized with H1N1, and 24 deaths in South Carolina. That includes 64 hospitalized and four deaths last week, according to the state's health agency.

South Carolina will receive 334,000 total doses of swine flu vaccine by week's end; an additional 131,300 should be delivered by the end of next week. County health departments are giving the vaccine on an appointment basis.