What Is Swine Flu?

With confirmed cases of the swine flu on the rise in southeast Texas, doctors are seeing an increase in patients wanting to know if they have the bug.

The swine flu is very similar to the normal flu. Experts say recognizing the signs is key to preventing the spread of the virus.

"Nobody has immunity to it. It can infect virtually anyone in the population and that's the scariest thing about it," said Dr. Melanie Mouzoon, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic.

Dr. Mouzoon says normal flu symptoms include cough and congestion, high fever and muscle aches. People with confirmed swine flu have reported those signs as well as diarhea and nausea.

"In Mexico a number of people are developing a more severe pneumonia than we've seen in the United States," said Dr. Mouzoon.

The virus can only be confirmed with a lab test. Doctors at the Kelsey-Seybold Clinic are waiting on results of 200 nasal swabs taken from patients just this week.

"They are what we call suspect cases. There are no confirmed cases at this time."

But Dr. David Lakey, the head of the Department of State Health Services, told the House Committee on Public Health on Tuesday that state officials are treating the outbreak as a pandemic, despite its mild effects on Americans who have been infected.

Lakey said the Legislature spent $10 million on antiviral medicine last session. Gov. Rick Perry's request for additional medication from the federal government brings the state's total to 1.69 million courses of antiviral medication.

The Austin American-Statesman reported Lakey's remarks on its Web site.

The state has six confirmed cases of swine flu -- three in Dallas County and three in Guadalupe County.

At least 17 schools have closed for the week and thousands of Texas students are missing school on an important day of standardized state tests because of swine flu fears.

The Schertz-Cibolo ISD near San Antonio closed all 14 schools, including a high school where three of the state's six confirmed cases of swine flu were found. An elementary school in suburban Dallas, a high school in New Braunfels and the entire Rio Grande City Consolidated Independent School District also closed.

Rio Grande City Superintendent Roel Gonzalez today says about 1,800 of the district's 10,214 students were absent so the decision was made to close the schools for the rest of the week.

Gonzalez said the students were held out by their parents because of concerns about swine flu.

A state education spokeswoman says officials are working on a TAKS retesting schedule, but it won't be completed until it's known.