May 8, 2009 9:10 am US/Central
H1N1 Flu Found In Niles, Highwood Schools
Schools Kept Open, Deep Cleaning Planned
NILES and HIGHWOOD, Ill. (CBS) ―
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A combination of twelve recent pictures made on May 2, 2009, shows people around the world wearing face masks to protect themselves against the risk of contracting swine flu, officially known as influenza A(H1/N1).
Staff/AFP/Getty Images
Schools in north suburban Niles and Highwood are among the latest where cases of the H1N1 flu have been discovered.
One case was discovered at Nelson Middle School, at 8901 N. Ozanam Ave. in Niles, according to School District 63 officials. No plans have been made to close the school and district officials are reminding parents that new recommendations from the Center for Disease Control do not suggest such action.
The school will, however, be thoroughly cleaned as a precaution, according to the statement.
District 63 official David Bein said only one student had been officially confirmed and would not disclose the age or sex of the child.
Meanwhile, a case of the H1N1 flu was also confirmed at the Oak Terrace School, at 240 Prairie Ave. in Highwood, the second case in a school that is part of Highland Park District 112.
Earlier this week, the district announced a student at Braeside School, at 150 Pierce Rd. in Highland Park, had come down with H1N1 flu.
Oak Terrace School has contacted the Centers for Disease Control; school officials are taking the necessary precautions including additional cleanings throughout the school.
The district urges students, teachers and staff with flu-like symptoms to stay home for at least seven days even if symptoms go away sooner.
The district will provide flu updates on its Web page, nssd112.org.
As of Thursday afternoon, there were 258 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in Illinois, with 122 of them in the city of Chicago, the state Department of Public Health announced Wednesday.
Illinois laboratories are now able to perform confirmatory testing for the H1N1 virus, which is why the state has seen a large increase in the number of confirmed cases over the past couple of days, according to a release from IDPH.
The city of Chicago has 122 confirmed cases and six probable cases, according to the IDPH Web site, while suburban Cook County has 56 confirmed and six probable. DuPage County has 29 confirmed cases, Kane County 18, Will County 17, Lake County five, McHenry County two, and Kendall County one.
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
To stay healthy, IDPH recommends the three C's -- Clean: properly wash your hands frequently; Cover: Cover your cough and sneeze; and Contain: contain your germs by staying home if sick.
Fukuda says that with a world population of 6 billion people, it's "reasonable" to expect that kind of infection tally.
People who have questions about H1N1 flu can call the Illinois flu hotline at (866) 848-2094 for English and (866) 241-2138 for Spanish, or visit www.ready.illinois.gov.
The STNG Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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