Swine flu reported in Barrow County

A 15-year-old girl is Barrow County's first reported case of the newly declared pandemic virus – novel influenza A (H1N1), popularly known as "swine flu."

“The District Health Office has confirmed a case of H1N1 flu in Barrow County,” states a July 3 e-mail announcement from Forsyth County EMA Director Jimmy Terrell.

“The victim is a 15-year old female who has practically recovered. The sample was drawn June 23rd and confirmed yesterday.”

Terrell said there is no cause for widespread concern at this time, though caution is warranted.

“We do need to remain alert and to monitor our personal health, that of our family, our workforce and our friends,” the e-mail states.

Terrell has scheduled a meeting of the Barrow County Pandemic Flu Committee for 9 a.m. July 16th in the training room of the county administrative annex at 233 East Broad St.

“Unlike a seasonal flu, the H1N1 seems to be hanging around, and Public Health's big concern is the fall,” Terrell wrote. “We could see the same virus we are combating now or a mutation.”


Barrow County Commission Chairman Danny Yearwood received the news Thursday in a text message on his cell phone while meeting with the county's elected officials to discuss finances.

Immediately after the meeting, Yearwood spoke by phone with Terrell, who had good news about the teen's condition.

"She's better and up and running around and doing well," Yearwood said to a reporter after that phone call.

According to the web site of the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, the state of Georgia as of July 2 had 118 "confirmed and probable" cases of the new flu.