A second case of swine flu was reported in Warren County last week, one of 47 new cases of the virus in Mississippi and 152 since the outbreak began in April.

The latest confirmed case involved a male child, a spokesman with the Mississippi Department of Health said Monday. An adult male had been confirmed by the state as the county’s first case of the virus, identified as subtype A (H1N1) by the World Health Organization in April. A global pandemic was declared June 11 because of the spread of the strain, which has had moderate severity in most cases.

Except for the county where each case is reported, no identifying information about victims is made available.

In addition to the local case, reports of the disease through June 26 came from Winston — which topped the list with nine cases last week — Forrest, Jackson, Lamar, Webster, Tishomingo, Lee, Greene, George, Harrison, Attala, Chickasaw, Hinds, Lafayette, Lincoln, Marion, Oktibbeha, Panola, Perry, Rankin and Smith counties.

Since MDHS began testing for the virus, Harrison and Jackson counties have reported the most cases, with 25 and 20, respectively.

H1N1 swine flu responds well to traditional anti-viral medications, state epidemiologist Dr. Mary Currier said. The very young, the elderly, pregnant women and the chronically ill may be at higher risk for complications.

The virus has caused 311 deaths among the 70,893 cases confirmed by the World Health Organization worldwide through Monday. The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 27,717 cases of swine flu in the United States, with 127 deaths attributed to its effects.

More than 70 countries are now reporting cases of human infection with the flu, and WHO has said most of the cases have been linked to travel. Though the disease originated in pigs, recent conclusions by health officials point to a virus that derived from strains also found in birds and humans and is spread from person to person like other flu strains. Also, consumption of cooked pork products has been deemed safe.

Everyday actions recommended are:

• Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Discard the tissue.

• Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Use alcohol-based hand cleaners if available.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

• Stay home if sick with any flu-like symptoms.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com