LITTLE ROCK, Ark. " Arkansas' first confirmed swine flu cases came from out-of-state airmen from Nevada and New Jersey training at a military base in Arkansas, officials said Friday.
Officials said 11 airmen training at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock suffered flu-like symptoms. Four tested positive for the virus, four tested negative and three test results are pending.
The four confirmed cases involve two airmen from Nevada and two from New Jersey.
Officials described their symptoms as mild, and said all 11 sick airmen have been isolated.
Friday's announcement was the first confirmation in Arkansas of the disease.
"Once the first case was identified, steps were immediately taken to contain the spread of the illness we were dealing with," said Maj. Gen. Bill Wofford, adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard.
The airmen were part of a class of 40 from out of state that had arrived at the base on Sunday for a two-week Air Force course, said Capt. Robin Tolliver, a physician's assistant at the base. The class was staying in barracks separate from the rest of the population at the military base.
The four cases were confirmed by a laboratory at the Arkansas Department of Health. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 1,639 confirmed cases of the disease as of Friday.
"We felt certain we would eventually see some cases of the novel H1N1 virus here in Arkansas," said Paul Halverson, the Health Department's director. "As the result of these diagnoses, we will be monitoring the conditions of close contacts of the patients in an effort to slow the spread for as long as we can."