Third case of swine flu in county

Hamilton County has its third confirmed case of the H1N1 influenza virus, local health officials said Monday.

Last month the county reported its first case of H1N1, also known as swine flu, a novel strain of influenza that began its global spread in April. Public health officials said they fully expect to have more cases of the virus locally, and they emphasized the need for hand hygiene to prevent the spread of the flu.

One of the two recently infected people was hospitalized at the time they were tested for H1N1, said Jennifer Yim, public information officer for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department, on Monday. But Ms. Yim said local health officials have no information about the current status of either patient.

Bradley County now has six confirmed cases of H1N1, according to the state health department.

As of Friday, the latest information available, 220 cases of H1N1 have been confirmed in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. Those figures did not include the third case confirmed in Hamilton County over the weekend.