6/24/09 Deschutes County
By Brian MacMillan
 
The Swine Flu is here.
 
Tuesday, an 11 year old Deschutes County boy became the first official carrier of the virus in Central Oregon. Two other residents of Deschutes County were also confirmed to have Swine Flu, but they first got sick in another state and will not be in Oregon for the rest of the summer. Health officials say the boy's case comes at an ideal time - after the school year.
 
"That was a lucky break for us. No school or congregate setting risk at this point," said Shannon Dames with the Deschutes County Health Department.
 
The Deschutes County Health Department says the 11 year old boy has a mild case and he did not put any other groups at risk. The Health Department expects a decrease in flu cases as we head into summer, but as the virus changes and new strains are discovered, health care workers are preparing for a busy fall flu season.
 
"We are not seeing a lot of concerning change at this point. Not the changes we are most concerned about like severity, for coming into the fall," Dames said.
 
As of last Friday, Oregon health officials report 219 confirmed Swine Flu cases. There have been two Oregon deaths, the most recent was a two year old Marion County child. The World Health Organization raised the pandemic alert level to phase six, two weeks ago. That is the highest alert level.
 
"If we were to set up an ideal pandemic that gave us time to plan, that was fairly mild, this would be it," Dames said.
 
The Health Department believes there are more cases of the Swine Flu in Central Oregon, but sometimes symptoms are mild enough that people don't go to their doctor to be tested.
 
Next fall, you'll need two separate Swine Flu shots along with the regular flu shot if you want to be vaccinated.