GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES NEW YORK’S WADSWORTH LABORATORIES’ H1N1 TESTING VALIDATED BY CDC

No New Confirmed H1N1 Cases Reported Today Outside New York

Governor David A. Paterson announced today that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has granted New York State independent testing status for the H1N1 virus (swine flu), validating the testing conducted by the Department of Health’s (DOH) Wadsworth Laboratories since April 28. With CDC validation, all cases of H1N1 tested by DOH’s Wadsworth Laboratories previously reported as “probable” are now confirmed.

“Today New York State begins its second full week of implementing a statewide response to the outbreak of the H1N1 virus,” said Governor Paterson. “Yesterday, the CDC validated the accuracy of Wadsworth’s testing, and New York will no longer send specimens to the CDC. As a result, 17 previously reported probable cases in the State outside of New York City are now confirmed cases of H1N1.”

DOH reported that testing performed Sunday on specimens from four patients, including two repeat tests, resulted in no new cases of H1N1. DOH reported that the reduced number of specimens for testing on Sunday was expected due to reduced weekend deliveries.

As of Monday morning, a total of 90 confirmed cases of H1N1 have been identified in New York State, including 73 confirmed in New York City and 17 confirmed in counties outside of New York City. There are an additional six probable cases in New York City. Testing on New York City specimens continues to be conducted by New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH). NYCDOHMH has not yet been granted independent testing status and results continue to be listed as probable until CDC confirmation; NYCDOHMH expects to be granted independent testing status later this week.

DOH Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D. said: “As Governor Paterson has said, it’s important to remain alert but not alarmed. To date most cases appear to have a connection with Mexico. Thankfully, we have not seen the same severity of cases that Mexico is reporting.”

Six schools or school districts have temporarily closed to help reduce further transmission of the H1N1 virus, with the Ed Smith School in Syracuse being the most recent school to close as a result of a new case announced Sunday involving a student at that school. As of today, individual schools or school districts have closed in Queens, Onondaga, Suffolk, and Chautauqua counties. In addition, St. Francis Preparatory in Queens has reopened.

Governor Paterson also announced that DOH is preparing to deliver supplies of antiviral medicines to counties requesting these supplies. “As I’ve mentioned, CDC has provided us with 25 percent of our allotment of the strategic national stockpile of Tamiflu. I’ve asked Commissioner Daines to begin to deploy a portion of these 400,000 treatment courses to local health departments to ensure that the supply will be quickly accessible if the situation changes,” Governor Paterson said.

More than a week ago, Governor Paterson activated the State’s health emergency preparedness response plan. “The effective implementation of our plan has allowed New York State and local officials to quickly track and identify new cases of the virus and to implement measures that would reduce the transmission and mitigate the impact of this outbreak on the public’s health,” said Governor Paterson. “I congratulate our State, city, and county health departments for their strong response.”

Influenza is serious and seasonal influenza is still active in New York State. An estimated 36,000 people in the United States die each year from seasonal flu. In New York, seasonal flu is responsible for approximately 2,000 deaths statewide. In 2008, New York State had eight pediatric deaths and to date in 2009, there have been seven pediatric deaths associated with seasonal flu.

The symptoms of H1N1 include fever, cough, sore throat, congestion and runny nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting as well. New Yorkers experiencing severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, should seek immediate medical care.

Precautionary measures for both seasonal flu and swine flu include:

• Washing your hands often with soap and warm water. Alcohol-based hand cleansers are also effective.
• Avoiding people who are ill.
• Staying home from work or school if you are sick.
• Using tissue when you cough, sneeze or spit, and dispose of the tissue in a covered trash bin.
• Keeping hands away from your face. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Cleaning shared space more often such as phone receivers, keyboards, steering wheels and office equipment.
• Refraining from sharing personal items such as forks, spoons, toothbrushes and towels.

For more information about H1N1 and precautionary measures, please visit http://www.ny.gov/h1n1/index.html.