One case of the H1N1 influenza virus has been confirmed from Moore County.

The patient has received medical attention but was not hospitalized and is recovering satisfactorily, according to Patty Kempton, communicable disease nurse with the Moore County Department of Health.

Kempton said the confirmation came Thursday morning in a telephone call from the state Division of Public Health. It is the first and only confirmed case of the virus, commonly known as swine flu, in Moore County.

Although the state health Web site had listed one confirmed case in Moore County for the past week, this listing actually referred to a "probable" diagnosis in another case, said Health Director Robert Wittmann. The first confirmed case is the one reported Thursday.

The culture that was confirmed as H1N1 influenza is one of five cultures from Moore County residents sent to the state lab for analysis since the new strain of flu was identified earlier this year. Three were determined to be negative, one was probable and the fifth is now confirmed as positive.

"A lot of people have influenza symptoms in Moore County, but not all are swine flu," Wittmann said.

Wittmann had predicted earlier that H1N1 flu would be diagnosed in Moore County and that a confirmed case would eventually be reported.

Primary symptoms of H1N1 flu include high fever, muscle aches, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue and sometimes diarrhea, which are similar to the symptoms suffered by patients with seasonal flu. The health officials said it would be difficult to track everyone who has swine flu symptoms. However, the emphasis has been on people in situations where their condition could place other people at risk, such as child day care and adult long-term care facilities.

Kempton estimates that 99 percent of the flu cases currently found in North Carolina are thought to be swine flu. The hospital and doctors routinely take swabs in cases of suspected swine flu, especially if the patient has a fever above 100 degrees.

At latest count, North Carolina had 395 confirmed cases of H1N1 virus with 84 new cases confirmed in the week prior to Wednesday, the day when the state web site is updated weekly. Two deaths have been reported, both in Guilford County.

The state Web site says swine flu has been confirmed in most neighboring counties -- 15 in Johnston, 13 in Chatham, six in Cumberland, five in Lee, three in Randolph and two in Hoke.

Health officials recommend that the best way for people to protect themselves against H1N1 flu and other flu strains is to take simple sanitary precautions, such as frequent hand-washing and covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

Kempton said wine flu is not the only communicable disease that should concern the public this summer. She said other diseases that are seasonal in the summer months can also be quite serious, such as salmonella and other food-borne diseases and tick-borne diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. So far, the West Nile virus spread by mosquitoes has not been detected here this summer.

She recommends that residents take special care in the preparation of food outdoors during the hot weather months to prevent salmonella. The best protection against tick-borne diseases is to wear long-sleeved shirts and socks and to use insect repellent while outdoors..

Contact Florence Gilkeson at 693-2479 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.