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Rell reports CT's first confirmed swine flu case

Gov. Jodi Rell announced Connecticut?s first confirmed case of swine flu Friday in a Stratford man. Rell says the state received confirmation Friday from the federal Centers for Disease Control. The

News 12 Staff

May 2, 2009, 12:24 AM

Updated 5,768 days ago

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Gov. Jodi Rell announced Connecticut?s first confirmed case of swine flu Friday in a Stratford man.
Rell says the state received confirmation Friday from the federal Centers for Disease Control. The individual has already recovered and did not require hospitalization, according to officials.
?I think we should be taking it seriously,? Stratford Health Director Lisa Pippa says. ?I don't think we should be alarmed. And that's a struggle because you don't want to create mass hysteria, but you want people to really do what they can to prevent it.?
In addition to that case, state health officials say there are six suspected cases in the state including a Middlefield child, two Fairfield University students and residents in Glastonbury and Fairfield.
Pippa says the town is prepared for any additional cases that may arrive. The health department has posted signs in public buildings throughout the town warning about the virus.
"Washing hands frequently before you eat, after being out in public," says Cynthia Kyle, of Stratford. "We were at the bank and handling money. Definitely we got to wash our hands."
Others, however, say they are not worried about the outbreak and aren't doing anything differently.
"If it's going to get me, it's going to get me," says Joshua Dominik, of Stratford. "I don't expect it to become much of anything. Look at the bird flu. It's a chance for pharmaceuticals to make a bunch of money."