Anchorage Daily News

Two new cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Alaska, the state Department of Health and Social Services said. One patient is a preteen from Haines. The boy reported feeling ill on May 27 after returning from a trip to Seattle. A sample was taken by a private health care provider the next day. He has since recovered, and no one among his family or friends has reported any flu-like illness, the state said.

The other patient is a male in his 20s from Fairbanks who first reported feeling ill on Saturday. A sample was taken at a clinic Tuesday. No information is available on where or how he might have been infected, the state said.

There is no known connection between these two cases and the first case in Fairbanks reported on May 28 involving a Fairbanks woman.

"The presence of novel H1N1 in Alaska is really the 'new normal,' " said Dr. Jay Butler, Alaska's chief medical officer. "We will continue to see more of the H1N1 flu cases confirmed around the state throughout the summer and into the fall. Everyone should continue to practice good hand hygiene and cough etiquette to protect them and reduce the spread of this, and many other diseases."

Last week, state health officials confirmed the state's first swine-flu case, involving a middle-aged woman from Fairbanks.

The United States has had over 11,000 swine-flu cases confirmed, including 770 hospitalizations and 19 deaths. Worldwide, over 20,000 cases have been confirmed with at least 117 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

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