Two suspect cases of swine flu were reported Friday afternoon in Cowlitz County, according to county health department officials.

Health department spokeswoman Dr. Megan Guffey, citing patient confidentiality, declined to say whether one of the suspect cases involves the man treated at St. John Medical Center earlier this week. Neither of the cases required hospitalization, she said.

“You have confirmed cases, probable cases and suspect cases. Suspect is the lesser of the three,” Guffey said. “We only have suspect cases here.”

There are 10 probable cases of swine flu in Washington — seven in King County, two in Snohomish County and one in Spokane County.

There have been 141 confirmed cases in the United States as of Friday afternoon, but so far there are none in Washington. Guffey said it’s uncertain how soon it will be before a final determination is made about the two suspect cases in Cowlitz County.

Guffey said testing for swine flu is recommended if patients:

• Have been hospitalized with severe respiratory illness, have a temperature of more than 100 degrees, plus shortness of breath or X-ray evidence of pneumonia.

• Have been examined in a hospital emergency department or outpatient setting with influenza-like illness (fever of more than 100 and cough and/or sore throat) and had traveled to Mexico seven days prior to the onset of symptoms.

• Have had contact with someone with influenza-like illness who had traveled to Mexico seven days earlier.

• Have had contact with a person having a confirmed or probable case of influenza.

Guffey declined to say how the two new suspect cases fit these criteria.

Guffey reminds the public that prevention measures are important: Stay home if you’re sick; cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, preferably with a tissue that’s then discarded; and wash your hands often with soap and hot water for 30 seconds.

“I can’t stress enough that we should act just as we would for any other flu season,” she said. “We want to reduce the amount of transmission. It’s our goal in any flu season. Every year, 36,000 people in the United States die from regular flu. We don’t have any reason to suspect that this particular flu is any worse than any other standard-season flu.”

A toll-free number is available for people who have questions or concerns about swine flu or other influenza strains: (877) 510-2772.

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