Update, May 7, 2009: There have been no further reported cases of H1N1 influenza at MIT Medical since the case described below. We continue to monitor campus and local community flu activity and public health notices. We recommend that individuals continue to practice good hygiene (cover coughs and sneezes; cleanse hands frequently) and that individuals with flu-like symptoms consult a health care provider and avoid going out in public.
Confirmed H1N1 flu patient fully recovered
May 5, 2009
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) reported today that a previously reported MIT Medical patient with probable H1N1 influenza (“swine flu”) did have this type of flu.
Based on a rapid flu test, the patient, who does not live or attend school at MIT, was diagnosed on April 29 at MIT Medical with a strain of influenza A that was not the typical strain circulating during the recent flu season. Consequently, the DPH classified the case as “probable” H1N1 pending further testing. The patient has been treated with an antiviral medication and is now fully recovered.
An earlier possible case of H1N1, an MIT student, came to MIT Medical with a flu-like illness on April 23 after returning from a trip to Mexico with a companion. This patient has also recovered fully. Because this visit to MIT Medical occurred prior to the CDC alert regarding H1N1, the patient was not tested for influenza A with the rapid flu test.
No suspected cases of H1N1 flu have been diagnosed by MIT Medical since April 29.
As of Monday night, the DPH confirmed 28 additional cases in Massachusetts, bringing the total to 34. Each of the newly confirmed cases is expected to fully recover and none are hospitalized. The DPH website has details of symptom onset and date of confirmed diagnosis in each case.
None of the 28 recent diagnosed patients are new cases. The increase in the number of confirmed cases is the result of confirmatory testing now being done at the state laboratory in Jamaica Plain. Previously, testing of all suspect and probable cases was performed only at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, which resulted in a backlog of samples for testing due to the recent increase in volume.
MIT Medical and the Massachusetts DPH continue to monitor the situation closely. The most up-to-date national and local information is available from the CDC and the state’s public health blog.
See also: MIT Medical's influenza information page
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