LA deaths probe for swine flu link

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 28 (UPI) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Tuesday as the Los Angeles County coroner investigated two possible swine flu deaths.

Schwarzenegger's emergency proclamation Tuesday orders all state agencies and personnel to provide assistance to the Department of Public Health, authorizes the department to contract as necessary to battle the flu outbreak and waives some certification requirements for public health labs, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Concerning the two deaths, coroner's office spokesman Craig Harvey said his office would collect and send samples to the county public health department to determine whether either person died from swine flu. If so, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta would be notified.

The CDC reported the total number of U.S. cases reached 67. Worldwide, the number of confirmed cases topped 100, not counting the still-unknown number of cases in Mexico, believed to be the epicenter of the outbreak, the Times said.

Asked about the California investigation during a briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said, "We have a number of states that are reporting illness and as you note, there (are) several cases, I think two in California, but they have not been confirmed that those are actually a product of H1N1 (swine flu). So those diagnoses are going on."

"It is very likely that we will see more serious presentations of illness and some deaths as we go through this flu cycle," she said.

The U.S. Agriculture Department and the U.S. trade representative are working with the nation's trading partners assuring them U.S. pork and pork products are safe and shouldn't be banned, Napolitano said. Several Asian countries have barred import of U.S. pork and pork products and ordered the destruction of the product in-country before the ban.

Meanwhile, Indiana state health officials confirmed that a University of Notre Dame student is the state's first confirmed case of swine flu, the Chicago Tribune reported. The student is "doing well" and hasn't suffered any serious complications, the health department said.

Cuba on Tuesday became the first country to suspend flights to and from Mexico, ordering a 48-hour cessation, the Times reported.

In Geneva, World Health Organization Assistant Director-General Dr. Keiji Fukuda said a pandemic is not inevitable, but if it happens, it likely will be mild. He said he drew his conclusion by the lack of deaths outside Mexico.

In Mexico, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the number of new cases dropped from 141 on Saturday to 119 on Sunday and 110 Monday.