Sunday, February 20, 2011 • 5
EastValleyTribune.com
BIG UNIT TOURS PLAY BALL EXHIBIT
Report: Arizona saw 851 cases of flu last week By MICHELLE REESE TRIBUNE
MIKE SAKAL, TRIBUNE
BIG LEAGUE VISIT: Former major league pitcher Randy Johnson gets a tour of the Mesa Historical Museum’s Play
Ball: The Cactus League Experience exhibit on Friday. The exhibit is an ongoing exhibit dedicated to the history of spring training in Arizona, and the third phase of it will open at the Arizona Historical Society’s Museum at Papago Park in Tempe at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Johnson, who finished his 22-year career with 303 wins and 166 losses, marveled at the items in the exhibit from Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Gaylord Perry, which Johnson surpassed in career strikeouts with 4,875. Half of the six teams Johnson played for — the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants — trained in the Cactus League.
— Arizona’s flu and RSV activity is peaking earlier than usual, according to the state Department of Health Services. The latest report shows there were 851 cases of labconfirmed influenza for the week that ended Feb. 12, just slightly less than the previous week. Activity of the virus usually picks up in the early part of each year, but this is earlier than usual, said Shoana Anderson, office chief for the state’s office of infectious disease services. “We’re definitely on the upswing for flu activity. It is a little unusual. It’s hard to say why that happens,” she said. There may be many more people experiencing the flu, since most people don’t get tested for it. Influenza is a respiratory virus that thrives in
colder weather, though it can be seen year round. About 50 percent of the confirmed cases this year have been in children younger than 18, Anderson said. There have been three pediatric deaths connected to influenza in the state this year, including two in Maricopa County. As of Friday, Mesa’s Cardon Children’s Medical Center reported that 63 of its 110 inpatients have tested positive for the flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) or pneumonia, all respiratory illnesses. Compared to the prior week, the hospital saw double the number of positive influenza cases. Anderson said the state could continue to see high numbers of the illnesses for the next few weeks. The number of influenza cases is about normal for the state. Last year, figures overall were much higher because of the pandemic.