CLARK CO. STILL SWINE FLU-FREE
Friday, June 19th, 2009 -- 12:05 PM
No one?s complaining, but Clark County is still Swine Flu-free.Wisconsin leads the nation with nearly 3,500 confirmed cases of the pandemic virus?Milwaukee County alone has over 2,400.
Wood, Eau Claire, Chippewa and Marathon counties all have confirmed cases. Marathon County has nearly 40 cases. Tragically, one of those cases became fatal for a 12-year-old girl this week?'Wisconsin's' 4th H1N1-related death.
Jessica Thomsen with the Clark County Public Health Department says we?ve had numerous suspected cases of H1N1, but no confirmed cases.
"I'm not sure why we don't, but the Western Region's numbers are a lot lower than the rest of the state," she says.
Officials say it's important to remain vigilant.
"We just keep stressing how to prevent the spread of illness," Thomsen says. Tips include good hand-washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and dealing with stress and anxiety.
Health officials have been somewhat surprised that the virus hasn?t slowed down more since the onset of warmer weather. Thomsen says everyone is preparing for H1N1 to pick up steam in the Fall.
"It's still a concern. With school back in session in the fall, that's usually where, if we're going to have an outbreak, it's in the close quarters of a school," she notes.
You can learn more about H1N1 at the state's website: [url=http://pandemic.wisconsin.gov/]pandemic.wisconsin.gov[/url].
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.