CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / STATEWIDE
Two mysterious cases of swine flu have been found in Imperial and San Diego counties, leading to an investigation by local, state and federal health officials to find the source.
A 9-year-old girl in Imperial County and a 10-year-old boy in San Diego County were identified as having had the virus, officials said Tuesday.
Neither needed hospitalization and both have recovered. But health officials remained puzzled because neither patient had been in contact with pigs or with each other, and the strain of the flu is one never seen before in the United States.
Officials said there was no indication the virus was spreading. “We do not have an epidemic,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County health officer.
Although it commonly causes respiratory problems in pigs, swine flu is rare in humans. Only 12 other cases of human infection have been detected since 2005, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the 12 cases, 11 of the patients had had contact with pigs.
Symptoms include fever, lethargy, cough and lack of appetite.
Documented cases of swine flu being transmitted from one human to another are rare, according to the CDC.
-- Tony Perry
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