NEW YORK, Jun 11, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Some people in New York may have
contracted swine flu, or the H1N1 influenza, before the outbreak in mid-May,
health officials said.
Almost 7 percent of New Yorkers said they had experienced flu-like illness
between May 1-May 20, a city-wide survey, conducted by telephone from May 21
through May 27, indicated.
The overall prevalence of reported flu-like illness was highest in Queens, where
9.4 percent of respondents reported symptoms; 9 percent reported symptoms in
Brooklyn; 4.2 percent in Staten Island; 3.7 percent in Manhattan; and 3.6
percent in the Bronx. Queens also reported the most influenza-like illness among
children, with 16 percent of those affected being under the age of 18.
Because the outbreak of H1N1 in New York did not begin to spread widely until
mid-May, some people who reported flu-like illness in the survey may have had
seasonal flu, strep throat or other illnesses that resembled flu. It is not yet
clear what proportion of those with flu-like illness had the H1N1 virus, but all
evidence suggests it has spread widely within New York, health officials say in
a statement.
Illness and emergency room visits for flu-like illness have recently declined
citywide. Other indicators suggest the peak period of H1N1 activity in the
outbreak may have occurred after the survey was completed, health officials say.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International