State to receive federal allotment of anti-viral drugs today

SALEM - The number of probable cases of swine flu in Oregon has risen to five, state health officials said Friday.

Dr. Mel Kohn, head of the Oregon Public Health Department, said the probable cases are in Lane, Multnomah, Wallowa and Polk counties. Two of the cases are in Multnomah County. None of the people were identified.

Today, Oregon is expected to receive the state's allotment of anti-viral drugs from the federal emergency stockpile.

Oregon Human Services Director Bruce Goldberg said at a legislative hearing Friday morning that the state will receive about 500,000 doses of the drugs, along with supplies of gloves and masks. He said health officials have no plans to dispatch anti-virals at this point.

"We don't think there is a need to distribute it," he said.

Goldberg and other health and emergency management officials were invited to testify at a House Human Services Committee hearing to give lawmakers an update on state and local readiness to deal with the flu outbreak.

At the hearing, Goldberg praised Western Oregon University leaders, saying they made the right call in ordering their campus closed through Monday because a student at the school had a probable case of swine flu. Officials said the student, a 22-year-old male, lives in an off-campus apartment but may have had contact with as many 200 other people in recent days.

Health officials said he had received medical treatment and was in the care of his family.

Goldberg said closing the campus helped avoid unnecessarily exposing 1,500 visitors who had been expected to attend track and field championships at the Monmouth campus this weekend.

There have been no suspected swine flu cases at Oregon's other universities. But Goldberg said the state has been in touch with officials at those schools to discuss contingency plans - which could include campus closures if necessary.

Officials said the campus has been closed until at least Monday when testing on the virus is completed. If the case is determined to be swine flu, university officials said the campus will remain closed a full seven days.

The school was scheduled to hold the Great Northwest Athletic Conference track and field championships this weekend.

Conference Commissioner Richard Hannan said the meet will not be rescheduled.

"This is an unfortunate situation," he said in a release. "But, our No. 1 concern is the safety and welfare of everyone involved."

Western Oregon's baseball and softball teams had games scheduled in Washington state this weekend, but those also have been canceled.

A young Multnomah County woman's illness was the first reported probable case of swine flu in Oregon. It was reported Thursday morning. Officials said it is believed the woman became ill Sunday after two members of her extended family returned from Mexico, where they had contact with someone suffering serious respiratory illness. The Multnomah County woman was not hospitalized.

"As far as I know, everything is just fine with her," Kohn said. "She's continuing to recover normally."

Federal officials have told the state that 95 percent of the people who have preliminary test results like the woman's turn out to have swine flu.

"We have not been seeing severe disease," he said about illnesses detected in Oregon. "It appears it's just like seasonal flu we see every winter."

Still, Kohn warned the virus could potentially evolve into a pandemic, especially in the coming months.

No vaccination for swine flu is expected to be available until the fall, Goldberg said, echoing comments of federal health officials.

In the U.S., the flu has been reported in 19 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Education Department said that 433 schools had closed.

Schools in two Oregon districts, North Bend and Willamina, were among those to cancel classes.

The World newspaper in Coos Bay reported students in North Bend were sent home early Friday, following a report of a student with influenza-like symptoms.

Willamina School district said it closed three schools Friday.

The Oregon Department of Education, meanwhile, stressed that the Willamina community did not have a probable case of swine flu. Kohn said health officials did not recommend the schools there close.