VERO BEACH, FL — Thirteen inmates at the Indian River County Correctional Institution have contracted swine flu.
Officials confirmed Wednesday the inmates had the H1N1 flu virus, said Michele Kiesel, Indian River Health Department nursing supervisor. Officials of neither the health department nor the Florida Department of Corrections, which runs the correctional institution for youthful male offenders, know how the inmates picked up the virus.
“Oftentimes, it’s brought in from outside,” said Gretl Plessinger, Department of Corrections spokeswoman.
Only three of the inmates had active symptoms Thursday, Plessinger said. No case was life-threatening, but one inmate is receiving medical care at a separate facility Plessinger declined to name.
All the sick inmates lived in the same dorm, Plessinger said. That dorm is under restrictions to contain the virus, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s instructions for correctional facilities.
Swine flu is a novel strain of influenza that emerged this spring in Mexico. Though it spread in epidemic proportions across the globe and caused hundreds of deaths, the H1N1 virus has proved to be a less virulent strain in the U.S. than originally feared.
Indian River County has had three confirmed cases of swine flu. Martin County Health Department has confirmed five cases, and St. Lucie County has had no confirmed cases.
Health officials say basic hygiene is the best defense against any flu virus. Anyone who develops symptoms should try to stay home for at least seven days, even if symptoms disappear.
