At least 42 swine flu cases in Illinois, most of them in suburbs

The number of probable swine flu cases in Illinois increased dramatically Thursday, going from eight to at least 42, with most of the cases in the suburbs.

State officials reported a total of 16 cases in Chicago, 11 in suburban Cook County, two in DuPage, seven in Kane, two in Lake, one in McHenry, and three in Will.

The Kane County Health Department reported eight cases, however.

The number of suburban schools closed because of links to swine flu cases jumped to seven, with one Streamwood school going so far as to close until May 11.

While the severity of many of the cases was not known, health officials said the cases they knew of remained relatively mild, with patients recovering at home.

Some of the new cases, including a 40-year-old McHenry man and a 27-year-old Lemont man, involved people who had recently traveled to Mexico, where the new strain of flu was believed to have originated and had killed some of its victims. A 6-year-old boy in east-central Lake County had just moved from New York, another affected area.

But other victims had no known connection to high-risk areas or, in most cases, to one another.

One of the new cases involved an 11-year-old Streamwood boy who attends Ridge Circle Elementary School in Streamwood.

In response, Elgin Area Unit District 46 officials went far beyond other schools and announced they are closing Ridge Circle for all of next week, until May 11, based on a Cook County Department of Public Health recommendation to close for seven days. That's the length of time someone is considered contagious after showing symptoms. The school was already due to be closed today for a teacher institute day.

Also, officials at St. Edward Central Catholic High School canceled school and all activities today after the report of a suspected case involving a student there. Parents should receive an automated phone call from the school today advising them whether it will be open next week.

Batavia High School, where another of the new patients is a student, is closed until Monday, and all activities are canceled.

Another new case prompted St. Charles Unit District 303 to close Haines Middle School in St. Charles. Buses took students home at 1 p.m. Thursday, and the school will remain closed until it gets test results on the case from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which may come this weekend.

All extracurricular events were postponed at Haines, and students were asked not to gather in groups on their own.

Parents were asked to notify the school if their children get flu symptoms, by calling (630) 513-3030.

All three cases in Will County were girls from Joliet, ages 7, 8 and 11. One girl was hospitalized briefly, health department spokesman Vic Reato said, but all had mild cases and were convalescing at home.

The girls are students at Joliet Public Schools District 86, which closed two elementary schools, Farragut and Sator Sanchez, in Joliet until Tuesday.

In addition, Marmion Academy in Aurora and Rotolo Middle School in Batavia announced Wednesday they would close for the rest of the week.

In all, Thursday brought five new probable cases in Kane County, 11 in suburban Cook County, three in Will County, two in Lake County, and one in McHenry County.

The McHenry patient who had recently returned from Mexico went into an urgent care center with mild symptoms, and tests revealed the probable flu case, county health department spokeswoman Debra Quackenbush said. The man was recovering at home.

The first Lake County case, reported Wednesday, involved a 6-year-old boy who had just moved to Illinois a few days before and hadn't attended school at his new home, Lake County Health Department spokeswoman Leslie Piotowski said. Contrary to previous information, she said, the boy was never hospitalized, but is recovering at home.

Despite the mild symptoms of the patients, the outbreak is prompting changes in Catholic Communion and distribution of extra medicines and supplies.

The Archdiocese of Chicago advised pastors to use their own judgment in distributing sacramental wine from a shared cup, and some priests have opted against it.

The Joliet Diocese urged those distributing Communion to wash their hands and use sanitizing gels, and urged sick people not to drink from the Communion cup.

As planned, the Illinois National Guard and state agencies worked Thursday to send anti-viral medications and medical supplies to local health departments and hospitals.

The supplies from the federal Strategic National Stockpile include 376,000 new courses of Tamiflu and Relenza, which can lessen the severity and duration of the flu.

That brings the state stockpile of anti-virals to more than 1 million courses, which are pills typically taken over five to seven days.

The state also was distributing new federal supplies of masks, gloves and surgical gowns for medical workers.

In DuPage County, the Regional Office of Education will hold a meeting today for all school superintendents from the county to share information about the illness.

Though no new cases were reported, Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield and Edward Hospital in Naperville had a substantial increase in the number of people coming in to be tested for swine flu.

There was a longer-than-usual wait in the Central DuPage emergency department. Spokeswoman Amy Jo Steinbruecker encouraged patients to see their own doctor or go to the hospital's convenient care centers in Naperville, Wheaton, Bloomingdale and St. Charles, and a new one opening today in Glen Ellyn.

Edward Hospital set up hygiene stations with masks. gloves and tissues at each entrance and was testing a lot more patients.

The DuPage County Health Department was preparing a campaign to educate schools, businesses, police, fire and municipal officials about the disease.

In DuPage County, the Regional Office of Education will hold a meeting today for all school superintendents from the county to share information about the illness.

Though no new cases were reported, Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield and Edward Hospital in Naperville had a substantial increase in the number of people coming in to be tested for swine flu.

There was a longer-than-usual wait in the Central DuPage emergency department. Spokeswoman Amy Jo Steinbruecker encouraged patients to see their own doctor or go to the hospital's convenient care centers in Naperville, Wheaton, Bloomingdale and St. Charles, and a new one opening today in Glen Ellyn.

Edward Hospital set up hygiene stations with masks. gloves and tissues at each entrance and was testing a lot more patients.

The DuPage County Health Department was preparing a campaign to educate schools, businesses, police, fire and municipal officials about the disease.

Nationwide, the number of cases has reached 109, including 50 in New York and 26 in Texas, where the only death was reported. Officials suspect 168 people have died of the disease in Mexico, where the flu is believed to have originated, though the cause of most of those cases is not yet confirmed.

The first Kane County cases announced Wednesday involved a male 18-year-old from Geneva who attended Marmion Academy in Aurora and a 12-year-old girl from an unincorporated area who attended Rotolo Middle School in Batavia.

To prevent further spread of the disease, at the urging of the Kane County Health Department, the two schools closed for at least the rest of this week and canceled activities, while the two students are recovering at home.

Marmion's nationally renowned Flannigan Rifles Drill Team, which was due to leave Thursday for a national contest in Daytona Beach, Fla., canceled its trip. Batavia Park District canceled all events and gatherings for middle school children (grades sixth through eight) through May 3.

The University of Chicago Medical Center says two of its employees have probable cases of swine flu.

The release says the employees, while contagious, had no contact with patients and limited contact with hospital staff.

Though the Illinois patients are considered to have "probable" cases, the test that confirmed they have swine flu is 99 percent accurate. To confirm the diagnosis, swab samples from each patient were sent to the CDC for final analysis.

Lake and Kane counties have established swine flu hotlines. The Lake County number has prerecorded information at (847) 377-8350 in English and Spanish.

The Kane County hotline is set up to answer residents' questions. The number is (630) 208-3315 and will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

• Daily Herald staff writers Tim Broderick, Harry Hitzeman, Nadia Malik, Kerry Lester, Christy Gutowski and Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.

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