Counting Cases of Flu

Testing and treatment for swine flu are based on several factors, including the person’s symptoms and his/her medical history. Ultimately, the decision to test and how to treat a person is up to him/her and the doctor providing care. The examples below give an idea of how different people might receive differing treatment.

Bill

Bill is a 35-year-old with no chronic health problems. On Tuesday night, he comes home from work with fever, sore throat and cough. He takes an over-the-counter medicine for the fever and body aches and drinks plenty of fluids. He retreats to the guest room to sleep.

Bill feels badly, but his symptoms seem familiar—he’s had this kind of illness before.

The next Monday morning, Bill is feeling better and his fever is gone without taking any medication for fever. He returns to work on Tuesday morning.

What happened? Bill probably had the flu, but because he was otherwise healthy and did not have serious symptoms, he treated his illness at home.

Stephanie

Stephanie is 27-years-old and pregnant with her second child. On Tuesday morning, she wakes up with a fever and runny nose.

Stephanie calls her doctor’s office, and they ask her to come in. She is seen by the doctor on Tuesday afternoon, and the doctor does a flu test.

The initial test results show that Stephanie does have the flu. Because she is pregnant, Stephanie’s sample is sent to the state lab for additional testing to determine if her flu is the swine flu strain.

Meanwhile, her doctor writes a prescription for an anti-viral medication.

Stephanie takes her medicine, rests and drinks plenty of fluids and begins to feel better. On Friday afternoon, Stephanie’s doctor calls and says that her tests showed that she has swine flu. Her case is reported to the Health Department.

What happened? While Stephanie’s illness was relatively mild, her pregnancy was a cause for concern. For that reason, her doctor wanted to see her and treat her with prescription anti-viral medicines.

Daniel

Daniel is a 4-year-old with diabetes. On Tuesday, he looks sick at his preschool class. His teacher sends him to the office, and he is sent home from school with a fever.

Daniel’s mom picks him up from school and calls the pediatrician’s office that afternoon. The doctor wants to see Daniel the next morning.

On Wednesday, Daniel goes to the doctor. He is given a rapid flu test and the results show that he has the flu.

The doctor tells Daniel’s mom to give him over-the-counter medications not containing aspirin for his fever and to call the office if Daniel’s symptoms change.

Daniel’s preschool is working with the Health Department to share the number of absences. His case of flu is one of the five reported by that school for the week.

What happened? Because Daniel has diabetes, he is at higher risk for complications from the flu, which is why his doctor wanted to examine him. But the doctor found that Daniel’s illness was not serious enough to require anti-viral medication. 

While flu may lead to serious symptoms—like shortness of breath or chest pain—that could require treatment at a hospital, in most instances flu can be treated at home or by visiting a physician’s office. Again, the decision on how to treat a case is up to the patient and the physician. 

More information
For basic information on swine flu, including prevention, read our fact sheet. For specific questions, read a list of commonly asked questions. If your question isn't answered here, you can submit it.