Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

(JIM MAHONEY/DMN) Daniana Alcantar wears a face mask and gloves as she sanitizes the chairs and desks in one of the classrooms at the Golden Rule Charter School in Dallas.

AUSTIN – State leaders urged calm in the face of growing concern Wednesday about the swine flu that closed some schools, prompted widespread cancellation of school-related activities and led the governor to declare a statewide emergency to free up 850,000 antiviral doses from federal stockpiles.

One toddler, a boy brought to Texas from Mexico, has died, and two people are critically ill. Texas Health Commissioner Dr. David Lakey said Wednesday that the state is in "a dynamic situation."

"For us in the state of Texas, we have to be cautious and prepare for a pandemic," Lakey said, adding that the number of cases is relatively low and most patients are suffering mild symptoms. Only 16 cases of the new virus are confirmed in Texas, but dozens more are suspected.

Lakey said a Mexican toddler on a visit with relatives in Brownsville became the first U.S. fatality from the virus. He said the 22-month-old boy from Mexico City had underlying health problems and was not symptomatic or likely contagious when he and his family boarded a commercial flight to Matamoros on April 4.

The boy developed a fever four days later, was hospitalized in Brownsville and then transported to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston as his condition worsened.
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He died Monday, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the swine flu infection on Wednesday.

Two more people in Texas – a 23-month-old child and a pregnant woman forced to deliver – are in critical condition from probable swine flu infections, Lakey said. The woman underwent an emergency Caesarean section and delivered a healthy baby, although she remains extremely ill, he said.

The health department has not released any further information about their cases.

The virus has now spread to 11 states, and the CDC reports 93 infections. Texas has 16 confirmed cases, the second highest after New York with 51 cases.

Swine flu is suspected of killing more than 150 people and sickening over 2,600 in Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel and Austria.

Lakey said there are likely additional cases in Texas and urged susceptible groups – the young, the elderly, those with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women – to take health precautions.

While more than 3,000 people a year die in Texas of Type A influenza, this strain of flu is new and it's unlikely that humans have formed antibodies to battle it. That is why health officials are proceeding cautiously, Lakey said.

"In light of the incomplete picture, without all the data, we believe that it's prudent for us to operate in this heightened state of awareness," he said.

Dr. Richard Bessey, acting director of the CDC, said, "We expect to see more severity and, unfortunately, we do anticipate that we will see more deaths."

Gov. Rick Perry, who appeared with Lakey and Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott at a news conference, said state health and emergency personnel are in constant contact with local officials.

He said citizens need to know, "There's no need to panic. The incidents of swine flu have been limited in number with symptoms that are generally mild."

He also said the state's level of preparedness is high. "As Texans always do when facing a challenge, we prepare for the worst and pray for the best," Perry said.

The state has 840,000 doses of antiviral medication that mitigate the symptoms of the flu. Regular flu vaccines will not prevent this strain of the disease.

The statewide disaster declaration will mean Texas can gain approval for an allotment of another 850,000 courses of the medication, making almost 1.7 million doses available to Texans.

Two years ago, the state Health Department requested $34 million to buy at a discount the state's full allotment from the federal government of 3.3 million doses of the antiviral medication. Instead, the Legislature appropriated $10 million.

"It was a big point of discussion," recalled Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, chairwoman of the House Public Health Committee. The flu treatments were competing against other pressing health needs.

The House version of the budget wanted $22.7 million and the Senate did not allocate any funding. The $10 million was a compromise.

"It's 20-20 hindsight," Kolkhorst said. "I'm proud that the House moved the initiative."

She said the current health situation shows the state "absolutely" needs to stockpile more antiviral medication. "This is a great lesson for all of us," she said.

The federal dosages are expected to arrive in the state next week.

As of late Wednesday, more than 130,000 Texas students – including all those in the Fort Worth school district, which has an enrollment of about 79,400 – had been told to stay home as a precaution because swine flu cases were suspected in their schools or districts.

This is TAKS testing week at most schools. Scott, the education commissioner, said that no district would be penalized for taking health precautions.

He said he would urge parents who have sick children to keep them at home. "This is not the time to worry about the perfect attendance record," Scott said.

The University Interscholastic League also has canceled track meets, one-act plays and other regional competitions scheduled this weekend as a precaution.

He said it didn't make sense in this time of heightened concern to bring students from all over the state together to compete and then send them back to their school districts. The UIL will reschedule the events, he said.