So far, there have been no confirmed cases of swine flu in Mississippi, but that the strain of influenza will make it to our state is more or less inevitable “if it doesn’t just fizzle out,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Mary Currier said in a phone conference Tuesday.



Currier, who works for the Mississippi Department of Health, said that so far the swine flu does not appear to be any greater in severity than the regular seasonal flu, adding, “It looks like we’re going to have an extra flu season.”



She said the most important thing Mississippians can do to combat swine flu is to take “regular precautions that we take during the regular influenza season,” which include hand washing, making sure not to cough or sneeze on others, and staying home if you are sick.



Currier said she does not expect anyone to test positive for swine flu in Mississippi at the present time, but that the health department is continuing to monitor for the virus and is asking physicians to send samples from any patients with flu-like symptoms.



For more on this story, read tomorrow’s edition of the Meridian Star.