Cary-Grove High School hit by flu outbreak

The halls of Cary-Grove High School have been a bit less crowded in recent days.

As many as 130 students were absent because of flu-like symptoms on a single day during the past week, according to Crystal Lake High School District 155.

That number, however, had declined to 90 students by Tuesday and 65 on Wednesday, a district spokesman said.

"The trend is going down, and that's a good thing," District 155 spokesman Jeff Puma said. "We're trying to work with health agencies to make sure that everything that can be done is done."

None of the cases have been confirmed as the swine flu, or H1N1 virus, Puma said.

But given that H1N1 is the dominant flu strain nationwide right now, it is likely that the swine flu was behind the recent outbreak, according to the McHenry County Health Department.

"The flu that's circulating is almost 100 percent H1N1," said county health department spokeswoman Debra Quackenbush. "It's likely that it is. Without a laboratory-confirmed test, you never know."

District 155's four high schools are working with the health department to track absences and coordinate a response, Puma said.

The custodial staff at Cary-Grove has been disinfecting high-use areas in the school twice a day, instead of just once, Puma said.

Health authorities advise parents to keep their children at home for at least 24 hours after a fever subsides. For more information, visit d155.org/h1n1.