More cases of swine flu suspected in county
April 30, 2009
By JIM NEWTON <!-- e --><a href="mailto:jnewton@scn1.com">jnewton@scn1.com</a><!-- e -->
More suspected cases of swine flu in Lake County are being investigated, health officials said earlier today.
Lake County currently has one case classified as probable, meaning that testing has concluded there is a 99 percent chance that a 7-year-old boy from East Central Lake County has contracted swine flu.
The new suspected cases are still being tested, according to Lake County Health Department spokeswoman Leslie Piotrowski, who said she did not have information on the number of such cases.
Piotrowski said the suspected cases were not localized to any specific area of the county.
Under the testing process, if local cases test positive for unidentified influenza, samples are sent to the Illinois Department of Public Health, which conducts more sophisticated tests that can determine the likelihood of a swine flu diagnosis with 99 percent accuracy. A third test by the federal Centers for Disease Control is needed for a swine flu case to be confirmed.
Piotrowski said Thursday that the 7-year-old moved to Lake County from New York on April 24, which is why he wasnât enrolled in local schools and why the Health Department has not recommended any school closures.
State health officials said Wednesday that the Lake County child was 6 years old, but Piotrowski said his actual age is 7.
Also, the child is not currently hospitalized and initial reports that he had been may have been in error, Piotrowski said. Arrangements had been made for him to go to the hospital, but it appears he wasnât admitted, she said.
Meanwhile, the Lake County Forest Preserve District is planning to hold its Cinco De Mayo festival Sunday at Green Belt Cultural Center in North Chicago, although similar events were cancelled in Mundelein and Chicago.
Forest District Executive Director Tom Hahn said the district decided to proceed with the event after consulting with county and state health officials, who said they were not calling for any event cancellations.
Hahn said hand sanitizer would be available at the festival, as well as CDC information and guidelines in English and Spanish. He also said district officials will continue to monitor the situation in Lake County and could decide to cancel the event if conditions change.
Those wanting to check on the status of the event may call the cultural center at (847) 968-3477.
Statewide, the number of probable cases of swine flu increased Thursday from nine to 17, including a case in McHenry County. That overall total also includes eight cases in Cook County, six in Kane County, and one each in Lake and DuPage counties.
âRight now our goals are to identify swine flu cases as quickly as possible and to stop the spread,â said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Damon T. Arnold.
Several state agencies and the Illinois National Guard currently are assisting with the receipt of anti-viral medications and medical supplies from the federal Strategic National Stockpile, which began arriving in Illinois on Wednesday.
Kits containing the supplies will be shipped to local health departments and hospitals throughout the state through the weekend.
Arnold said reiterated that the most important things people can do to keep themselves and others healthy are to stay home if sick, cover your cough or sneeze with your arm or tissue and properly wash hands frequently.
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