FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                Connecticut Department of Public Health

May 28, 2009                                              Contact: William Gerrish

                                                                     (860) 509-7270

Hartford – The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) today confirmed 47 new cases of novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) among Connecticut residents.

Positive results for H1N1 flu were confirmed today at the department’s Public Health Laboratory for residents of Berlin, Bloomfield, Cromwell, Danbury, East Windsor, Greenwich, Lyme, Mansfield, Naugatuck, New Haven, Norwalk, Prospect, Redding, Ridgefield, Simsbury, Trumbull, Waterbury, West Haven, Weston, Westport, Wilton.

A total of 196 confirmed cases have now been identified among Connecticut residents.  Among the 196 cases, ages range from 3 to 56 (average 16 years); 90 are female and 106 are male.  Cases are from the following counties: Fairfield, 134; Hartford, 19; Litchfield, 1; Middlesex, 4; New Haven, 32; New London, 3; and Tolland, 3.  Laboratory-confirmed cases represent only a fraction of the likely number of cases in the state because many persons with mild symptoms do not seek care from a doctor or hospital but recover at home.  There has been one hospitalization reported related to the novel H1N1 virus.  The patient was discharged from the hospital and has fully recovered.

For a list of towns with confirmed cases, please visit www.ct.gov/ctfluwatch.  DPH continues to ask residents to take precautions to prevent getting the flu or spreading it by staying home from work or school if they are sick, washing their hands frequently, and coughing or sneezing into their sleeve or a tissue.

For more information on novel H1N1 flu:

·         Connecticut Flu Watch: www.ct.gov/ctfluwatch/swineflu

·         Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov

·         Call 211

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is the state’s leader in public health policy and advocacy with a mission to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of our state.  To contact the department, please visit its website at www.ct.gov/dph or call (860) 509-7270.

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