KEY LARGO -- The swine flu making the rounds in the Upper Keys has been mild in comparison with recent seasonal flu bugs, according to one local pediatrician.
"I've found that H1N1 virus is not as severe as the regular flu we see every season," Dr. Stanley Zuba told the Free Press last week. "If a child is healthy, it's a week out of school. If a child has asthma or any respiratory conditions that may compromise his health, it's best to take him to the family doctor."
Zuba, who says his Tavernier office is seeing three to four patients a day with flu-like symptoms, says less than 100 have tested positive for the swine flu virus in the past month.
"These kids are coming in sick, but not nearly as severe as the seasonal flu we saw two years ago where kids were coming in with fevers of 104 to 105 [degrees]. Those kids were barely able to get off the exam table," he said.
Common symptoms of swine flu are diarrhea, vomiting, sore throat, headache and a fever above 100.4 degrees.
According to data from the state Health Department, the swine flu has caused 131 deaths statewide, with two this past summer from the Keys. Both were "middle-aged people with pre-existing chronic conditions," said Chris Tittel, spokesman for the Monroe County Health Department.
Statewide, 912 patients have required hospitalization to treat the virus. Locally, that number has been low.
Sheila Konczewski, spokeswoman for Mariners Hospital, says the Tavernier facility has treated just five cases of confirmed H1N1 this year.
A local 16-year-old girl had to be sent to Baptist Hospital two weeks ago with the virus, according to Zuba.
In the spring of 2009, cases of human infection with H1N1 flu were confirmed in Mexico and in several states in the United States. Cases of infection in humans were also reported in other countries, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
So far, South Florida has avoided the large outbreaks reported in other states. Still, local health officials and physicians are urging the public to take advantage of free swine flu vaccinations being offered in the Keys.
Area schools continue to report see-sawing absences due to illnesses.
"We only have 38 absent today," Lisa Graham, registrar at Key Largo School, reported last Thursday. "Two to three weeks ago we had one day with 80 absences and another with 76, but there are far fewer students absent now and we don't know how many of these absences are flu-related."
The absentees at Plantation Key School peaked at 70 last week.
"This is a little high," said Assistant Principal Kristy Bedell. "We had 60 to 70 students a day absent near the end of last week."
Coral Shores High School Registrar Trish Biondoletti reported only 35 absences last Wednesday.
"Our enrollment is around 750 and we have had very consistently low absences," she said.
That jibes with what Zuba's office is reporting.
"Teenagers and middle school kids are the most common ages we see with the H1N1," Zuba said.
According to Centers for Disease Control data, from Aug. 30 through Oct. 10, 19 percent of laboratory-confirmed H1N1 hospitalizations nationwide were children under age 4. Children ages 5 through 18 represented 25 percent of the cases. Adults made up the bulk of cases at 49 percent, while those over age 65 accounted for only 7 percent. It is believed that senior citizens have an immunity to swine flu after being exposed to a similar Asian flu in past decades.
sgibbs@keysnews.com