More swine flu cases likely in Nevada

A 2-year-old Reno girl is the first confirmed case of swine flu in Nevada, health officials said Wednesday.

Officials said they are prepared to fight the deadly virus, but it is likely more cases will be reported in the state as the illness spreads throughout the United States.

"We would not be surprised if we have more cases," said Martha Framsted, a Nevada State Health Division representative.

The health division and other health officials are watching for a surge in cases and will increase the state's stockpile of swine flu treatments, officials told the Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services Wednesday.

The state has about 140,000 swine flu treatments and expects to get 86,000 more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said Mike Willden, director of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.

The treatment, Tamiflu, is the same one used for the common flu. It requires a prescription. There is currently no vaccine for the virus.

- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

- Avoid close contact with sick people.

- If you get sick with the flu, stay home and limit contact with others.

What to do if you get sick:

If you experience fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact a doctor, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your doctor will determine whether flu testing or treatment is needed.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

No vaccine is available to protect against swine flu. These steps can help protect against the virus:

Virus reaching pandemic level

Close to 100 swine flu cases in 11 states and one death from the virus have been reported in the U.S. Cases also have been reported in Mexico, Canada, Britain, Israel, New Zealand, Spain, Germany and Austria.

The Geneva-based World Health Organization said Wednesday that the virus is reaching a pandemic level.

The Washoe County District Health Department is closely monitoring the Nevada girl with swine flu, her family and the daycare center she attended, Willden said. Her case was mild and she is now "doing well," Willden said.

The center was identified as Fundamentals Preschool. Willden said the school, operated by John and Lisa Munson, has a good licensing record during many years and wasn't being shut down.

The girl hadn't traveled to Mexico, where the virus is believed to have started, said Mary Anderson, a Washoe County health officer. The county doesn't know how the girl got the disease, Anderson said. The majority of cases are not connected to Mexico, she said.

Health officials tested four cases Sunday " two from Carson City and one each from Las Vegas and Reno. Officials sent the Reno sample to the CDC for further testing. The cases from Carson City and Las Vegas weren't swine flu.

The Nevada health division is talking regularly with federal and local health officials about prevention and testing for swine flu cases, Mary Guinan, acting state health officer, told the state health assembly.

"The system is working," she said. "We have a a system for surveillance. We have a system for containment."

The state is monitoring about 60 hospitals, health clinics and doctors' offices, she said. This is the same way it monitors the common flu, which produces about 1,000 cases a season, she said.

A closer watch on swine flu will help protect the state and uncover other cases that might have been undetected, Guinan said.

"It is likely we will find more cases," she said.

Carson City prepared

Luana Ritch, chief of the Nevada Bureau of Health Statistics, Planning and Emergency Response, said that swine flu has probably been in Nevada for a while, but no one has noticed because symptoms have been so mild.

What makes the swine flu a concern is that it is not covered by this year's flu vaccine and it comes late in the season.

Carson City is prepared for dozens of cases of swine flu, said Marena Works, Carson City Health and Human Services director.

Any city could get overwhelmed with a pandemic, she said, but "we're not overly concerned about the severity."

She said the department is monitoring medical clinics, talking with health officials and advising doctors on swine flu testing.

Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center has areas in its emergency room separated off in case of a swine flu emergency to keep the virus contained, said John Tyler, a hospital representative.

He said the hospital is also in regular talks with the city and state health departments about what is happening with the virus.

- Megg Mueller of the Nevada Appeal News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.