Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ― Several area schools will be closed through the weekend after students came down with probable cases of swine flu. State health officials said the number of "probable" cases in Illinois had reached more than 17 as of Thursday afternoon.

Eight suspected cases are in Cook County, six in Kane County, and one each in Lake and DuPage counties, the Illinois Public Health Department reports. But Will County health officials said there are three suspected cases there, and Kane County health officials said they now have at least seven.

IDPH spokeswoman Melanie Arnold said Thursday the department is working to determine exactly where in the respective counties the cases have been reported, but said information on the number of cases is changing quickly.

To help fight the virus, several state agencies and the Illinois National Guard are assisting with repackaging shipments of anti-viral medications and medical supplies delivered Wednesday and Thursday from the federal Strategic National Stockpile, the IDPH said. The shipments are being broken down into smaller packages and sent to local health departments and hospitals throughout the state, Arnold said.

Thursday afternoon several schools announced they will be closed on Friday as a preventative measure after probable cases of the swine flu were detected.

In Kane County, Batavia High School and Rotolo Middle School in Batavia, Marmion Academy and Bednarcik Junior High in Aurora, and Fox Chase Elementary and Thompson Junior High in Oswego will be closed until Monday. All after-school and weekend activities, practices and meetings are canceled, according to the schools' Web sites.

A press release from the Kane County Health Dept. said the school closings will help interrupt influenza transmission and protect students, staff and the community. While this is not a prevention action taken for ordinary flu, it makes sense in the early stages of this new swine influenza period, the release said.

A release from Oswego Community Unit School District 308 said two of the district's probable swine flu cases are under review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and conclusive results are expected in a few days. Parents will be notified, likely Sunday evening, about the status of school for next week and updates will be posted to the district Web site.

In addition to the school closings, the Batavia Park District has canceled all programs and gatherings through Sunday for children in grades six through eight.

Two schools in southwest suburban Joliet -- Farragut Elementary and Sator Sanchez Elementary -- have announced they will be closed until Tuesday due to three probable cases of swine flu in the district, according to the district's Web site.

Those cases were detected after an 11-year-old girl, an 8-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl, all from Joliet, went to local hospitals. All three have been released and are recovering, according to a release from the Will County Health Dept.

In Chicago, Chicago Public Schools officials announced Thursday that Joyce Kilmer 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 probably case of swine flu, and officials noticed lower than normal attendance, according to a release.

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

Dr. Damon Arnold, state public health director, called all the cases "relatively mild" and said only the 12-year-old girl was hospitalized.

In addition to that child, the Chicago victims are Michael Hairsine, a 20-year-old Loyola University student; a 25-year-old man from Lake View; a 35-year-old woman from Hegewisch, and a 36-year-old woman from Woodlawn.

"As anticipated, we are now seeing cases of swine flu both in the city and the suburbs," said Dr. Terry Mason, head of the Chicago Public Health Department. "And we expect these cases to rise in the days, weeks and months ahead."

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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