Swine flu has infected 20,000 in Mass., more cases expected
By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff
WORCESTER -- More than 20,000 Massachusetts children and adults have been infected with swine flu since the virus first appeared five months ago, state health authorities said this morning, providing the most detailed portrait so far of the epidemic's impact.
The H1N1 virus that causes the disease did most of its damage in the state in late spring and early summer, research from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health shows. The deaths of 11 people in Massachusetts have been blamed on swine flu.
In other parts of the nation, particularly the South, the virus has returned with a vengeance in recent weeks. Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach said the virus' rampant spread elsewhere foreshadows what is likely to happen in New England.
"We expect to see in the coming weeks and months that we will see widespread cases of H1N1," Auerbach told about 800 health, public safety, and education officials who have convened for a statewide swine flu summit at Worcester's DCU Center.
Auerbach also said his agency expects the first doses of swine flu vaccine to arrive in the state within 10 to 14 days, and they will be distributed to people at highest risk from the virus.
