New York, NY – 3 More Schools Close As Swine Flu Spreads

New York, NY – Three more public schools were shut down today after more students reportedly tested positive for the swine flu or H1N1 virus, bringing the total to six schools closed as a result of the most recent outbreak in New York City.

The three latest schools affected are IS 318 in Williamsburg, JHS 74 in Bayside, and PS 107 in Flushing.
Nearly 300 students called out at IS 318 in Brooklyn.

It may appear the swine flu is back, but Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden says it never went away.
“It appears at this point, at least in schools in New York City, in these days to be spreading more rapidly than traditional influenza spreads. We don’t know why that is,” said Frieden.

Yesterday the city shut down PS-16 in Corona, IS-5 in Elmhurst and IS-238 in Hollis after dozens of students came down with flu symptoms.

At least four students at IS 238 have confirmed cases of swine flu. While most have mild symptoms, the assistant principal, Mitch Wiener, has the most serious case of swine flu the city has seen so far, and he’s hospitalized in critical condition. Wiener’s family believes the school should have closed sooner.

“I’m outraged. What does it take to close a school? You can close a school because of snow but not because of illness that can be deadly?” said Wiener’s wife, Bonnie.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the latest cases of swine flu are generally mild though, and that with the exception of Wiener, victims have recovered quickly.
The affected will be closed until next Friday, May 22.

The mayor also said that Wiener, may have had pre-existing health problems — but on Friday, Wiener’s son Adam said his father had only suffered previously from gout, which he said was unrelated to his current condition. He said his 55-year-old father is now suffering from pneumonia, kidney failure, dehydration and a lung infection.

“I don’t know where people got that,” Adam Wiener, 23, said this morning as he prepared to return to the hospital where the family was keeping vigil.

“If you are a parent, keep your children at home if they have any flu-like symptoms,” said Bloomberg. “But if you are seriously ill, go to the hospital.”  Frieden says the virus isn’t more virulent than seasonal flu but appears to be spreading more rapidly than other flu strains. He says the “large clusters” in the schools is “a little surprising.”

“I think it’s fair to say that most New Yorkers turned their back to the virus, but we have not,” Bloomberg added.

Meanwhile, maintenance workers wearing masks scrubbed desks, floors and door handles all morning Friday to try and combat the fears of the spreading outbreak.

Education Department spokeswoman Margie Feinberg said maintenance crews were thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting two middle schools and one elementary school in Queens where hundreds of students were sent home sick this week.

It isn’t unusual for flu cases to ebb and surge as the virus moves through a population during flu season. The virus tends to disappear as the weather gets warmer and more humid.

Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, a deputy commissioner of the health department, said investigators are trying to learn more about why the disease has spread erratically.
Schools are a good incubator for illness in general, he said, because space is tight and youngsters often don’t practice the best hygiene.
So far, the virus has not proved to be more infectious or deadly than the seasonal flu.