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Friday, Jul. 03, 2009

Three swine flu cases confirmed in midstate residents

Three cases of swine flu, including one in Bibb County, have been documented in residents of the North Central Health District, officials said Friday.

None of them are believed to have contracted the H1N1 virus in the midstate, said Dr. David Harvey, the district health director for 13 counties. But because they live here, he said, it’s important to monitor their situations to see if they pass swine flu on to anyone else.

By the time the pandemic is over, 35 percent of the population may contract the swine flu, Harvey said.

The three documented cases, according to officials, include:

Ÿ A Bibb teen who attended a camp in north Georgia. Her diagnosis was confirmed Thursday, and she currently is receiving treatment in a local hospital.

Ÿ A Wilkinson County teen who attended a different camp in north Georgia. His diagnosis was confirmed Wednesday, and he is receiving treatment.

Ÿ A Jones County man who was traveling in Texas. He was diagnosed and treated there in mid-May.

Harvey cautioned that now is not a time to panic.

Residents should take care to wash their hands with warm water and soap and avoid close contact with anyone who exhibits flu-like symptoms. Those include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue.

For more on this story, come back to macon.com and read Saturday’s Telegraph.