Md. has 9 probable swine flu cases

The latest cases involve a Rockville High School student and a 53-year-old Montgomery County man who traveled to Mexico.

The Rockville High case prompted the county to close the school Friday.

The 53-year-old man is fully recovered, although his family members who teach in or attend Montgomery County schools have been asked to stay home.

Another case involves a 40-year-old Baltimore County woman who recently traveled to an affected area.

Samples have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.

Meanwhile, test results from six probable samples sent to the CDC on Wednesday have not been released. The CDC says those test results will be likely be available on Friday.

The other six cases involve three people in Anne Arundel County and three in Baltimore County.

The Anne Arundel County cases involve one family with a student at Severna Park's Folger McKinsey Elementary School. The family has no history of foreign travel, although another family member recently returned from an infected area.

The three Baltimore County cases include two members of one family, one of whom recently traveled to Mexico. The third case is someone who recently traveled out of Maryland to a location that's not considered an affected area. One of the individuals attends Baltimore County's Milford Mill Academy.

No one has been hospitalized and everyone is recovering.

Gov. Martin O'Malley says he isn't alarmed that swine flu could be in the state, saying it's "inevitable."

State health officials anticipate more cases in the future.

Maryland Health Secretary John Colmers says infected people have had contact with someone who already has swine flu.

"You also have to have recent travel history to an affected area," Colmers says. "For the most that has been Mexico, but it now begins to include portions of the U.S. where there are confirmed cases."

All hospitals are keeping state health officials informed about what's happening in their emergency rooms.

Maryland Deputy Secretary for Public Health Frances Phillips says the state is monitoring emergency room complaints "so we can see if there are any trends."

The state also is monitoring over-the-counter drug sales and how many students and teachers are absent in school systems across the state.

O'Malley says the virus is being monitored on an hourly basis.

Health officials identify suspected cases as people with flu-like symptoms who think they've been exposed, but haven't been tested. A probable case is when preliminary test results show a likely case of the illness, but further testing is needed.

In Virginia, health officials say there are two confirmed cases -- one in the Northern Neck and the other in Chesterfield.

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