UPDATE: Swine flu best combatted with personal hygiene, officials say

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Dr. Mary Anderson, a Washoe County health officer, said at a press conference this morning that the 2-year-old Washoe County girl diagnosed with swine flu is at home on anti-viral medication.

She has not traveled outside the city, state or country recently, Anderson said. She did attend daycare, but officials didn't name the daycare, only saying they were in contact with them.

Anderson said that the Centers for Disease Control said 85 percent of the cases of swine flu do not have a connection to Mexico. It's likely the virus has been circulating for a long time, and only due to the recent attention on cases in Mexico have they started testing for it. It's also likely people have had the virus and recovered without ever knowing it, according to Anderson.

The girl was part of the four individuals identified Friday as being tested for the virus. Two were in Carson, one in Vegas, one in Reno. All other cases were dismissed.

There are no other cases under surveillance in the state at this time. There are 60 surveillance sites across the state.

The state has 140,000 treatment courses of Tamiflu; the CDC is delivering 86,000 more.

Tamiflu is available by prescription only. It is not effective as a prevention measure, nor is Relenza.

Officials repeated that the best prevention is personal hygiene. Sneeze into your elbow to avoid the 3-6 feet of spray of droplets if you are without a tissue. Use anti-bacterial wipes used on shared items, such as phones, keyboards, etc.

The CDC and state are not recommending masks at this time.

 

Nevada could see more cases of the swine flu in addition to the the first case reported in Washoe County this morning, according to the Nevada State Health Division.

A 2-year-old girl outside Reno was the first person in Nevada diagnosed with respiratory disease, according to a health division representative.

The flu has affected over 90 people in 10 states since its outbreak earlier this month.

One boy in Texas has died from the disease.

Martha Framsted of the state health division said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed this morning the girl had swine flu.

Framsted did not name the girl but said she has not been hospitalized.

No other cases have been reported in the state, she said. Other cases have been reported in neighboring states, however, with 14 in California and one in Arizona.

"We would not be surprised if we have more cases," Framsted said.

Anyone who has signs of the flu or who is sick should stay inside, she said. People should also wash their hands frequently as a precaution, she said.

Symptoms of the flu include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing, according to the CDC. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

- The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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