‘Probable' swine flu victim describes symptoms of sickness


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SALT LAKE CITY -- One of the first "probable" victims of swine flu in Utah says he's still waiting for test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to know if he had a confirmed case of swine flu.

Steven Robertson's case had an impact on one of the Utah schools that closed. He says after a week of isolation, he is all better, no longer feeling the effects of an apparent case of swine flu.

"It seemed different; not necessarily worse, but a lot different from any illness that I've had before," he said.

It started with a cough and sore throat, but Robertson still felt OK when he attended a career day at Judge Memorial last Monday. He is a hairstylist and spent the day teaching teens.

That night, the symptoms got worse. "Very bad; bad body aches and a high fever. I was sweating," Roberts said.

A trip to the doctor, and the state health department determined he was one of the "probable" samples to be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Now one student at Judge Memorial is being tested, and school officials report the high school, as well as Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, will remain closed through at least Tuesday.

All Park City schools are also closed until May 10 or later, and Redwood Elementary School announced Monday that it will shut down for 14 days.

"We have one individual, a first-grade student, who was out of school the last few days, but there appears to be some transmission issues," said Ben Horsley, spokesman for the Granite School District.

All are precautionary measures for an illness Robertson says could have been worse but shouldn't be ignored.

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"Really, it wasn't that big of a deal. I was sick for a minute, and then I got over it, and now it's fine," Robertson said.

Doctors say Robertson is no longer contagious, and he even went back to work Monday night. He says he hasn't traveled recently and has no idea where he may have picked up the swine flu.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is backing off a bit now, saying that even if it raises its scale from 5 to 6, signs are the swine flu would result in a mild pandemic.

In Utah, there is still just one confirmed case of swine flu and 17 "probable" cases.

  • 10 cases in Summit County
  • 4 cases in Salt Lake County
  • 1 case in the Weber-Morgan Health District
  • 2 cases in Utah County (both were out of state when they caught the virus and got sick)

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Story compiled with contributions from Whit Johnson and Nicole Gonzales.

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