Payson Roundup

Gila County has had 33 confirmed cases of swine flu and two deaths, county Emergency Management Director Dr. Matt Bolinger said Wednesday.

One confirmed case has appeared in the Payson area, and both deaths occurred in southern Gila County.

Most of the confirmed cases involve patients who were hospitalized.

“The numbers we’re seeing are really just the tip of the iceberg,” said Bolinger. No cases of the seasonal flu have appeared because the season is young.

As temperatures drop, the number of cases will likely increase, according to Bolinger.

Arizona has had 2,263 cases statewide, with roughly 800 cases reported in the week ending Oct. 3, the latest week for which statistics are available.

Those 800 cases marked a 51 percent increase over the week before, according to the state Department of Health Services.

Statewide, 30 people have died from the H1N1 virus, three of them in the reporting week.

The DHS report stated that those cases represent a fraction of true cases because most people don’t visit the doctor when sick, and doctors don’t run tests on all patients with flu-like symptoms.

Symptoms include a fever, sore throat, headache, body aches and fatigue.

Bolinger urged people to wash their hands frequently and stay home if sick.