Published: May 08, 2009 02:11 pm      

Swine flu total in Florida reaches 23

Florida now has 23 confirmed cases of swine flu, the state Department of Health reported today. Cases have been confirmed in the following counties: one in Alachua, Clay, Indian River, Okechobee, Orange, Seminole, and Pinellas; two in Dade, three in Lee , five in Broward, and six in Hillsborough.

The increase in confirmed cases is primarily due to the cleaning of a CDC testing backlog of samples from probable cases previously submitted, DPH said.

New confirmed cases are:

Hillsborough: an 18 year-old male, a 21 year-old male, a 22 year-old male, a 19 year-old female, a 12 year-old male, and a 24 year-old female; Clay: a 15 year-old female; Okeechobee: a 27 year-old female; Indian River: a 15 year-old male; Alachua: a 19 year-old female; Seminole: an 18 year-old male; Pinellas: a 25 year-old male; Dade: a 13 year-old female; a 47 year-old male; Broward: an 11 year-old female, a 22 year-old female, a 3 year-old female, a 26 year-old female

We have 18 probables in the following counties: Manatee, Okaloosa, Palm Beach, Lake, Duval, Collier, Pinellas, and Marion have one probable case each. Lee and Sarasota has two. Broward and Dade has three.

CDC no longer recommends that communities with a laboratory confirmed case of influenza A H1N1 consider adopting school dismissal or childcare closure measures.

A public health emergency has been declared by the state Surgeon General.

A toll free information line has been established to address an increasing number of calls from the public requesting swine flu information. The number is 1-800-342-3557 and it is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.