This afternoon, city officials announced that many more school children may have the swine flu, which has been confirmed in 45 NYC residents (stats from CDC) so far. Beyond St. Francis Prep in Queens where the first cases were reported, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden said that "hundreds of students were ill with symptoms which most likely were swine flu." Children at P.S. 177, a school for autistic children, were being tested (and the school is closed) as were ones at a Catholic school Ascension. From CityRoom:
P.S. 177 is at 56-37 188th Street in Fresh Meadows, in eastern Queens; Ascension is at 220 West 108th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. Several St. Francis students had siblings at P.S. 177, but it was not immediately clear how or whether the Manhattan school was linked to the St. Francis flu outbreak.
A UFT spokeswoman said of the situation at P.S. 177, "Many of our children don't speak [because they are autistic. So if they're not feeling well, teachers are always watching them for cues of lethargy. It makes it a little bit more difficult.... Our nurse was on rollerskates yesterday." Also, a Columbia Teachers College student reportedly may have swine flu.
Frieden said, "Our focus now is to very, very carefully look to see if there are any cases of very severe illness with swine flu in New York City.... It's not unusual to see it spreading widely in a closed population like that." The (sort of) bright side is that the cases in NYC—so far—appear to be mild. Mayor Bloomberg said, "So far nothing about the progression of swine flu has surprised us. It is acting like every other traditional strain of the flu." Just remember to wash your hands and practice good hygiene; more information at the CDC.
