In-state swine flu tests available, but rare

Virginians who suspect they have contracted the swine flu virus can now be tested in-state, state health officials said.
But most people have no real need to be concerned because the virus is not life-threatening to many, said Phillip Giaramita, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Health. Those who are most in danger are the very young and old and those with compromised immune systems, he said.

“The treatment for the swine flu is the same as treatment for the [regular] flu,” Giaramita said.
Swine flu, otherwise known as H1N1, is a new flu virus strain first detected in April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web site. Because it was a new virus, most people didn’t have immunity and the virus spread quickly.
As of Friday, there had been 15 deaths and about 9,000 suspected or probable cases of the swine flu reported in the United States, according to the CDC. There have been 29 confirmed cases of swine flu in Virginia, but none of those has been in Central Virginia.
When cases of H1N1 were first reported, state health officials had to send any suspected test samples to the CDC lab in Atlanta for testing. Now the tests can be done at the state laboratory in Richmond.
“We don’t have the capabilities to test every person so we are prioritizing who is tested,” Giaramita said. “We’re now a month into this and there is no need to test everyone.”

People who suspect they may have H1N1 should contact their health provider, Giaramita said. Physicians are working with their local health departments on testing, but all samples must go through Richmond because test kits aren’t readily available.
“They are still developing testing protocols,’ Giaramita said. “As the weeks have gone by we’ve seen that there is no reason to test everyone because the treatment is the same as that for the regular flu.”
Doctors at Pediatric Associates of Charlottesville received calls from concerned parents early on, said Susan Soliven, a nurse at the office. Several children who had recently traveled and had symptoms were tested for the regular flu virus.

“We were on call with the health department to test for the swine flu if needed,” Soliven said.
Nurses told parents to watch their children and keep them home if they had flu-like symptoms, Soliven said.
“We haven’t had any calls in the last couple of weeks,” Soliven said.