The number of people infected with the H1N1 virus continues to climb in Lancaster County, with the state Department of Health reporting 51 confirmed cases as of Thursday.
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There's also one probable case of the virus here.
On June 11, the World Health Organization declared H1N1 — commonly known as swine flu — to be a global pandemic. At the time, more than 70 countries had recorded cases of the infection. According to the state Health Department, the virus was first detected in the U.S. in April.
Earlier this month, it was reported that flu sickened 25 teens and staffers at a summer program at Franklin & Marshall College. Some of them likely had the H1N1 virus.
In the spring, cases of swine flu were confirmed in two local schools, and concerns over it caused two other schools to close early.
Statewide, there are nearly 2,000 confirmed and probable cases of the virus, the Health Department reports, with nine deaths resulting from it. Six of the people who died were from Philadelphia County.
Forty-nine of Pennsylvania's 67 counties have at least one confirmed case of H1N1, with Lancaster County ranking 12th. Philadelphia, Montgomery and Lehigh counties are the top three, with 450, 193 and 149 cases respectively.
Of the counties that border Lancaster, Berks reports 125 confirmed cases; Chester, 74; York, 53; Lebanon, 45; and Dauphin, 33.
As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on its Web site that there are 43,771 confirmed and probable cases of the virus in the U.S. and 302 deaths from it.
According to the World Health Organization, in most countries the majority of H1N1 cases are happening in younger people. In Pennsylvania, the Health Department reports, 28.7 percent of infections have occurred in children 10-14.
Paula Wolf is a staff writer for the Sunday News. She can be reached by e-mail at pwolf@lnpnews.com.
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