Nova Scotia swine flu cases rise to 38
All cases are mild, provincial health officials say
Five new cases of swine flu were confirmed Monday in Nova Scotia, bringing the total to 38.
The Department of Health Promotion and Protection is saying little about the cases, but confirmed one is linked to King's-Edgehill school in Windsor, where the first cases surfaced on April 26.
Toby Koffman, a department spokesman, said all five cases are within the Capital Health District, which includes Windsor.
The number of confirmed cases in the province has been changing almost daily.
Department officials said of the 38 cases, 29 are connected to King's-Edgehill and three to areas around the world hit with the swine flu, though not necessarily Mexico.
- Wash hands thoroughly, often
- Cough, sneeze into sleeves
- Stay away from public areas if sick
- Disinfect doorknobs, counters frequently
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Six other cases remain under investigation.
Unlike in Mexico, where 22 people have died from the swine flu, all the cases in Nova Scotia have been mild. Health officials in the province expected the numbers to rise and the cases to become more severe.
"We do think that we'll continue to find them because people are aware of the situation and are seeking testing for it even though they have mild illness," Dr. Maureen Baikie, Nova Scotia's deputy chief medical officer, said Sunday.
Baikie said every new case of swine flu in the province is examined for possible connections to King's-Edgehill.
"What we're trying to determine is if there's any links either to travel in, for example Mexico, or links to a known cluster of cases. And that helps us to determine whether this is wider spread in the community or if it's still linked or has known links to travel," Baikie said.
Cape Breton student among cases
One of the swine flu cases announced Sunday is a student from Baddeck Academy in Cape Breton who began showing symptoms last week. The student had visited King's-Edgehill in Windsor two weeks ago.
Officials said that student is recovering at home.
Since several cases were diagnosed in the Halifax region, the Capital District Health Authority is scouting for possible locations for flu assessment clinics.
"In the event of cases found locally we could fairly quickly have those open and available to the public," said Margaret Angus, a health authority spokeswoman.
Provincial health officials say it's safe for people who don't have symptoms to go to work or school. But they urge people to take precautions, such as washing hands thoroughly and coughing into sleeves.