Kansas Department of Health and Environment recently announced the discovery of four more likely cases of influenza H1N1 (swine flu) in the state.

Two adults in Dickinson County were the first confirmed cases in Kansas. Neither person was hospitalized.

On Friday, KDHE announced a probable case of the flu in Johnson County. The person involved was hospitalized.

KDHE announced three presumptively confirmed cases. Presumptively confirmed means a state laboratory has identified the H1N1 strain and is awaiting lab results from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One of the cases was in Johnson County and required hospitalization. In Sedgwick County, a child was found to have the virus, but was not hospitalized. The other case, in Wyandotte County, was a child who was hospitalized and then released.

“I am not surprised to see additional cases in Kansas,” said Jason Eberhart-Phillips, State Health Officer and Director of the Division of Health at KDHE. “But the distribution of new cases is revealing. It tells us that the virus has probably entered the state on multiple occasions from multiple sources.

“The child in the Wyandotte County case had not recently traveled away from the Kansas City metro area, or come into contact with anyone who had been to an area known to be affected by the epidemic,” Eberhart-Phillips said. “This suggests that the virus may be getting a foothold in that area.”

KDHE has a phone number for concerned Kansans to call with questions about the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, (877) 427-7317.  Operators will be available to answer questions from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.