There are three probable cases of swine flu in Westchester County and health officials say more are expected as the fast-spreading virus moves outside New York City.

“It’s almost certain we’ll have cases in Westchester. It’s possible we’ll have large numbers of cases and we might have deaths,” county Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Lipsman said at a news conference today.

County Executive Andy Spano, also at the event, said health and emergency officials are closely monitoring the virus and ready to aggressively respond if needed. But no one should panic, he said.

“Remaining calm is the best thing you can do at this point,” Spano said.

The county health officials have been tracking emergency room visits. They have also been sharing the most current information with schools, local governments and medical providers.

“We know what we would do if anything escalates,” Spano said.

Five more probable cases of swine flu in New York have been identified outside of New York City, according to a morning update by Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines.

That brings to eight the total being tested at federal labs to confirm they’re caused by the same virus sickening people worldwide.

Two cases on Long Island,  in Suffolk and Nassau counties,  have connections to the St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, where hundreds were sickened, according to the Associated Press.

.Daines says the three other cases — in Orange, Monroe and Chautauqua counties — are connected to travel in Mexico. Probable cases in Orange, Suffolk and Cortland counties were identified Wednesday.
There was no additional information about suspected cases in Westchester and Rockland.

Federal officials previously confirmed 51 cases in New York City, most at St. Francis.
There have been no reported deaths in New York

It’s too soon to tell if the swine flu will become the pandemic that everyone is fearing, but a report on the Bloomberg news wire certainly doesn’t tamp down the flames.

Richard Besser, acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview that he expects to find more cases and deaths in the U.S. and citizens and businesses should review plans and be ready to act in the event of a global pandemic.

“Given the situation in Mexico, where they’re seeing much more severe disease, I would expect that as we continue to look we’re going to find hospitalized individuals and, unfortunately, I expect that we
will see deaths in this country,” Besser said.

The CDC today raised the number of confirmed cases in the U.S. to 64, with 45 of them in New York. No deaths have been confirmed in the U.S., but Besser said that will change.

No cases of swine flu have been reported in Westchester, Rockland or Putnam as of this morning.

The “New York State Department of Health”:http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/influenza/seasonal/swine_flu/ will update the status of swine flu cases in the state at 11 a.m.  All indications are that the epidemic, which started in Mexico, is spreading.

As of late yesterday there were numerous confirmed cases in the U.S., including 28 in New York, 13 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio, according to the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”:http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/.

State officials said yesterday that they expected confirmation that more students at a private Queens school had the illness, bringing the total number of cases to 45.

In New Jersey, state health officials have identified five probable cases of swine flu in people who recently traveled to Mexico and California

New York residents can call the Department of Health’s hotline at 1-800-808-1987.

What is swine flu? Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.

What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people? The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

How does swine flu spread? Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

How can someone with the flu infect someone else?
Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

What should I do to keep from getting the flu?
First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

How long can viruses live outside the body?
We know that some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent handwashing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?
If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.
What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?
If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Wash with soap and water. or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner. we recommend that when you wash your hands—with soap and warm water—that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn’t need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

What should I do if I get sick?
If you live in areas where swine influenza cases have been identified and become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.

If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash
In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Federal officials are continuing to investigate a new form of swine flu that has infected at least seven people in California and Texas.

Investigators with the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”:http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/investigation.htm expect to find more cases. No one in New York has been infected with the flu, which  combines pig, bird and human viruses in a way that researchers have not seen before.

The cases are a growing medical mystery because it’s unclear how they caught the virus.

The CDC said none of the seven people were in contact with pigs, which is how people usually catch swine flu. And only a few were in contact with each other, the Associated Press reports.
All seven people infected recovered.

Parents interested in learning more about the latest devices and procedures for keeping their children safe should go to the Annual Children’s Expo & Safety Fair on May 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brewster High School, 50 Foggintown Rd.

The event, organized by the Child Advocacy Center of Putnam County, aims to prevent child injuries by improving safey awareness.

The county Sheriff’s office and state police will perform car seat checks. The Brewster Fire Department will teach safety adn escape techniques in their Fire Safety House, a 40-foot, home-like trailer that simulates fire, smoke and heat.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Susan Hoffner at 845-278-5215, ext. 122.

Apple Inc. pulled an iPhone game called Baby Shaker, which encouraged players to quite a crying baby by shaking the child, after advocates and medical groups complained that it made light of a potentially deadly medical condition.

Advocates complained that the 99-cent game made fun of the real dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome.

In an e-mail to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, a copy of which was sent to the media, Patrick Donohue, founder of the “Sarah Jane Brain Foundation”:http://www.thebrainproject.org/default.asp, an advocacy group for parents of children with traumatic brain injury, wrote:  “As the father of a 3-year-old who was shaken by her baby nurse when she was only 5 days old, breaking 3 ribs, both collarbones and causing a severe brain injury, words cannot describe my reaction.”

The “National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome”:http://www.dontshake.org/ also condemned the game.

The app, developed by Sikalosoft, begins with this description: “On a plane, on the bus, in a theater.  Babies are everywhere you don’t want them to be!  They’re always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying.  Before Baby Shaker there was nothing you could do about it.”

It then allows the player to shake the virtual baby to silence it.

Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said “Baby Shaker” went on sale Monday, and confirmed that Apple removed it Wednesday, the Associated Press reports.

She would not comment on why the program was initially approved for sale nor about how many people downloaded the game. Apple itself screens each iPhone application, a process some prospective iPhone application developers have complained can take weeks or months. Others have said Apple gives little feedback when it accepts or rejects a program.

The national movement to allow seriously ill people to use marijuana is gaining momentum locally.

New York state lawmakers could approve a bill legalizing medical marijuana. Two Democrats yesterday introduced identical bills in the state Senate and Assembly on the issue, reporter Cara Matthews writes for the Gannett News Service. Read the full story HERE.

Patients would only be allowed to use marijuana under a physician’s supervision. The bill would also allow patients to grow up to 12 mature plants in their home. A host of medical groups including the state Medical Society and the New York State Nurses Association have endorsed the measure.

Thirteen states already have effective laws that remove criminal
penalties for medical marijuana patients, with Michigan becoming the
most recent when 63 percent of the voters there passed a law by ballot
initiative in November.  In the 11 states that have before-and-after
data, all have seen youth marijuana use rates decline since passing
their medical marijuana laws.

Even though it is not yet legal, there are patients who use marijuana to help manage pain and increase appetite, particularly when undergoing treatments like chemotherapy.

Tell us if marijuana has been an effective method of pain management for you. If you haven’t used it, would legalizing it make it a pain-management option for you?

The Third Annual Autism Information Fair will be held on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Westchester County Center.

The fair is in recognition of April being National Autism Month and will have information about resources, interventions and services for individuals with autism.

In addition there will be lectures for parents addressing the needs of children in various age groups and a supervised children’s play area. The free, public event is sponsored by Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health and Navigating the Spectrum, a Scarsdale not-for-profit group that aids families with autistic children.

For more information, go to www.westchestergov.com/mentalhealth or call (914) 995-5220.