Swine flu appears to have reached Hawai'i, with three probable cases: a married military couple and an unrelated school-age child.

It was inevitable for cases of the disease formally known as H1N1 Influenza A to reach Hawai'i, said state health officials.

"This is an influenza virus that's traveling around the world," health director Chiyome Fukino said yesterday. "There's not a whole lot you can do to stop it."

The three probable cases here all involved people returning from the Mainland, where swine flu has spread to 36 states.

"They were all flu cases and they had a history of recent travel to the Mainland," Fukino said.

The child and adults all live on O'ahu and are recovering during self-imposed home quarantine, Fukino said.

They each presented flu-like symptoms last week and were tested by state health officials on Friday, Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said. "Presumptive positive" results for swine flu came back on Sunday, Okubo said.

Officials are awaiting confirmation from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which could come today or tomorrow.

The military member had traveled to Texas, which has confirmed cases of swine flu. The military member was quarantined at home where his or her spouse became infected, Fukino said. The child had recently traveled to California, which also has confirmed cases of swine flu.

In a statement yesterday, state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said the child did not attend school while ill.

"Therefore, at this time, school closure is not necessary," Park said. "However, we have notified the Department of Education Superintendent Pat Hamamoto so that DOE may be fully apprised."

DOE spokeswoman Sandy Goya said yesterday that the child "had not enrolled in nor attended a public school since the child's return from the Mainland."

The child did sneeze on a healthcare worker, who developed a sore throat 36 hours later, Fukino said. The healthcare worker later tested negative for both H1N1 Influenza A and for seasonal flu, Fukino said.

Anyone with flulike symptoms, especially those who recently traveled to Mexico or the Mainland, should call their doctor and isolate themselves, Fukino said. Since the swine flu outbreak began, the state Health Department has been testing about 30 to 40 specimens each day, she said.

"Every one that we sent thus far has been ruled out," she said.

But, Fukino acknowledged, that could change as early as today.