Health

CHICAGO (CBS) ― The number of Swine Flu cases in Illinois has increased to nine confirmed cases, with 90 cases still characterized as probable, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Officials are reporting five confirmed cases in the city of Chicago and 29 probable cases, while suburban Cook County has another 29 probably cases, but no confirmed cases, marking Cook County with the highest number of cases in the state, according to the IDPH Web site.

A confirmed case is defined as a person with an acute febrile respiratory illness with laboratory confirmed infection. A probable case is defined as a person with an acute febrile respiratory illness who is positive for influenza A, but negative for H1 and H3, the IDPH said.

The news comes the same day as the Chicago Public Schools began enforcing new rules for sick students suspected of having the H1N1 virus.

Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman said the Chicago Public School system now has a list of new policies for sick students who may be showing symptoms of the virus:

--Schools will be given temperature reading strips – the ones that are placed on a child's forehead to detect a fever, in order to test students with flu symptoms.
--If the child's fever is over 100 degrees, the school will send the student home with a parent or guardian.
--The student will have to stay home for 7 to 10 days.
--The district will also put hand sanitizers in classrooms and also will check for any odd patterns in attendance to help track whether the illness is spreading. If attendance changes by 10 percent or more, schools must automatically notify the CPS central office, Huberman said. 

CPS officials announced last week that Joyce Kilmer Elementary School in Rogers Park will remain closed until further notice. The school was closed Wednesday when a 12-year-old student was determined to be a probable case of swine flu, and officials noticed lower than normal attendance. 

CPS is monitoring attendance at all schools to determine whether more will close. 

Diana Ramirez has one son and two nephews who are Kilmer students. And she says she's happy to see the new policies in place.

"I think it's much better that it used to be back then… sending the kids to school when they're sick. Right now, it's very strict," she said. "I think it's much better."

CBS 2 talked to the father of the child with the probable case of H1N1. He says that student is better and the definitive test results are not complete.

The number of probable Illinois cases include: Chicago (32), Cook County (28), DuPage County (11), Kane County (11), Will County (7), Lake County (2), DeKalb County (1), Kendall County (1), McHenry County (1), Sangamon County (1) and Winnebago County (1), the IDPH said.

Besides Kilmer, there are other schools in the Chicago area that are closed:
• Fox Chase Elementary School in Oswego: not sure when they will re-open
Bednarcik Junior High School in Oswego: not sure when they will re-open 
• Algonquin Middle School in Des Plaines: will re-open May 8. 
• Ridge Lawn Elementary School in Chicago Ridge: students will be notified when school will re-open 
• Rotolo Middle School in Batavia: set to re-open May 7 
• Batavia High School in Batavia: set to re-open May 8. 
• Haines Middle in St. Charles: set to re-open May 8 
• Larkin High School in Elgin: set to re-open May 8 
• Ridge Circle Elementary in Streamwood: set to re-open May 11 
• Chicago Christian Academy in Chicago: closed until further notice 
• Burbank District #111: all schools closed until further notice. According to the superintendent, the district has a case of the virus in the junior high and a probable case in one elementary school. 
• Marmion Academy in Aurora: set to re-open May 6.

Since the H1N1 epidemic began, concerns have mounted about whether it is safe to ride public transportation or travel through crowded areas. On Monday, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn hopped on a CTA 'L' train to drive home the message that riding public transit isn't a risky proposition.

Quinn boarded a train with his son at the Ridgeland Green Line stop in Oak Park on Monday morning for the 20 minute ride to his downtown Chicago office.

Quinn told reporters that even though there is heightened concern about the swine flu, people must go about their normal lives. If that means getting on a bus or a train or an airplane, he says, it's safe to do so.

Quinn says he routinely takes public transportation. He added that a reason he did so Monday was to demonstrate how wrong he thinks Vice President Joe Biden was when he said he had urged family members to avoid planes and subways for fear of contracting the virus.

State heath officials offered the following tips to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu:

-- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and throw the tissue in the trash after use.
-- Wash your hands often with soap and water.
-- Avoid touching your eye, nose or mouth.
-- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

A hotline allowing Illinois residents to access information about the H1N1 flu will be available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and will be staffed by volunteers, according to a release from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

The operators will answer basic, non-medical questions released to the outbreak at (866) 848-2094. The IEMA also has an updated Web site residents can check at http://www.ready.illinois.gov/ 

More Information Online:
* How To Protect Yourself
* How To Choose, Use The Best Hand Sanitzer
* H1N1 Flu: Questions, Answers 
* Illinois H1N1 Flu Information
* CDC Emergency Updates Via Twitter
* H1N1 Flu Twitter Live Search Results
* David Burnia's H1N1 Flu Watch On Twitter
* Flu Tracker Map Of Suspected, Confirmed Cases

CBS 2's Pamela Jones, the Associated Press and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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