swine flu grows (News Article #12)

Confirmed swine flu cases in U.S. jump to 245 in 35 states
BY MALCOLM RITTER
The Associated Press



NEW YORK — The tally of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States jumped Sunday to 245 in 35 states, but officials said that’s largely from catching up on a backlog of lab tests rather than a spurt in new infections.

The new count reflects streamlining in federal procedures and the results of tests by states, which have only recently begun confirming cases, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Because states are now contributing their results, and because there are many cases to analyze, "I expect the numbers to jump quite a bit in the next couple days," she told reporters Sunday.

Beyond eating into the backlog, the new number also reflects that "we do think this virus is fairly widespread," she said.

"Virtually all of the United States probably has this virus circulating now," Schuchat said. "That doesn’t mean that everybody’s infected, but within the communities, the virus has arrived."

Early Sunday, the CDC updated its number to 226 cases in 30 states, up from 160 in 21 states. Later, five more states reported confirmed cases.

Scientists are still gathering information on the nation’s 30 hospitalized cases. They are mostly older children and young adults, in contrast to ordinary flu, which tends to send the elderly and very young to the hospital, Schuchat said.

The only swine flu death in the U.S. is that of a Mexican toddler who was visiting Texas.

Authorities announced more school closings Sunday, including all 24 schools in a district west of Detroit.