No swine flu yet in Minnesota, but health officials are ready for it, says Greg Huff of the Sun Newspapers.

State and local public-health officials are taking "aggressive steps" in response to the unusual strain of swine influenza that has been making people ill in Mexico and parts of the United States.

“Like other state and local health departments across the country, we are taking the emergence of this unusual flu strain very seriously, and we are working very closely with national and local partners to characterize this outbreak,” said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, Minnesota state epidemiologist. “Thus far, all of the cases reported in the U.S. have been mild. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

“MDH [Minnesota Department of Health] and local health departments in the state have been preparing for major public-health threats for years,” Lynfield said. “We are ready to respond.”

Hospitals and physicians have been asked to submit specimens for testing if they have any patients with the kind of respiratory symptoms that typically characterize influenza.