13 swine flu cases now suspected in Wash state

People suspected of having swine flu in Washington state include a pediatrician who treated 22 patients before falling ill and a 3-year-old boy who recently traveled with his family to Mexico. Several schools announced closures as a precaution against the spread of the disease.

In addition to six cases listed as probable swine flu by the state, Dr. David Fleming, director and health officer for Public Health-Seattle & King County, on Thursday reported seven more probable cases in the Seattle area, including six children.

Several schools in Seattle, Federal Way and Everett announced closures of up to a week because of students with suspected cases or because they are related to people with suspected cases.

Officials at The Everett Clinic, where the infected pediatrician worked, were contacting the families of her 22 young patients so they could be tested and treated if necessary.

"There's obviously a tremendous amount of anxiety and concern right now," said Dr. Yuan-Po Tu, a medical director at the clinic based in Everett, about 25 miles north of Seattle.

The state Health Department likewise cautioned that more probable cases of swine flu H1N1 virus might be found in Washington as additional tests are conducted. About 70 samples have been sent so far to the state's lab in Shoreline, Health Department spokesman Tim Church said.

Officials were waiting for tests from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the probable cases are actually swine flu. But Dr. Gary Goldbaum, a health officer with the Snohomish Health District, said there's a 95 percent chance they are.

Tu said the 37-year-old doctor from Seattle came to work Monday at the clinic's Mill Creek branch, about midway between Seattle and Everett, with symptoms she thought were due to seasonal allergies. Toward the end of the day, she fell ill, went to a local emergency room and later tested positive for what is presumed to be swine flu, Tu said.

The doctor's husband and two children also had flu-like illness, but were doing well on antiviral treatment. Tu said the doctor and her family did not recently travel to Mexico, where the flu outbreak began.

Yolanda Larios, 28, brought her two kids to the Mill Creek clinic to be tested Thursday after clinic officials confirmed the doctor had treated her 7-month-old son the previous Thursday.

"I was crying when they told me he was treated by that doctor," said Larios, of Mill Creek, wearing a blue mask.

Larios said both kids have fevers, and the baby, whom she brought into the clinic last week because of an ear infection, is also having respiratory problems.

Seattle Public Schools and the city-county health office said Madrona K-8 elementary school would be closed through Wednesday.

"We thought this was an important precaution," Dr. Jeff Duchin of the health agency said.

An 11-year-old student at the school had a cough and fever Monday and his mother kept him home, school officials said. He was later hospitalized and is recovering.

Jon Hughes, vice president of Madrona's PTSA, said his fifth-grade daughter has been in contact with the boy but he wasn't too worried.

"They all have lunch together and recess together, but she hasn't shown any symptoms," said Hughes, whose three kids attend the school. "As a parent, I was comfortable sending my kids back to school."

School district spokesman David Tucker said health investigators determined the boy may have been ill last Friday at the school so they ultimately decided to close it.

Elsewhere in the region, health officials in Oregon reported the state's first probable case of swine flu Thursday in Multnomah County. Officials in Idaho reported one probable case in a Kootenai County woman. No confirmed cases had been reported in Alaska.

In Washington, two Snohomish County cases include a 34-year-old Lynnwood woman and a 3-year-old Snohomish boy. The woman's husband and two children have been sick, but are not believed to have the virus, Goldbaum said.

He said the 3-year-old boy and his family had traveled to Mexico from April 20 to 24, and believe the illness developed while they were there.

The three King County cases identified by the state include the Seattle boy, the Seattle physician and a 27-year-old Seattle man. A sixth case, in Spokane County in Eastern Washington, involves a man in his 40s.

Health officials in Spokane said the man there was no longer contagious, and they do not believe he could have spread the disease very far even if it is confirmed as swine flu.

Gov. Chris Gregoire urged calm Thursday, saying the health system is responding well.

She and health officials urged people to take steps to prevent the spread of the disease, steps, including covering coughs, washing their hands and staying home if they're sick

The state expects to get about 230,000 additional courses of antiviral drugs from the federal government no later than May 3, Gregoire said.

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Associated Press photographer Ted Warren and writers Donna Blankinship, Gene Johnson, Curt Woodward and Nicholas K. Geranios contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

Washington State Department of Health: http://www.doh.wa.gov/swineflu

Seattle Public Schools: http://www.seattleschools.org