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Swine Flu at Queens School is Same Strain Found in Mexico

Sunday, April 26, 2009

City health officials now say that the swine flu virus that sickened students at a high school in Queens is the same strain as the one found in Mexico.

REPORTER: Tests by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier confirmed that eight students at St. Francis Preparatory in Fresh Meadows have swine flu. Some of the school's students visited Mexico on a spring break trip two weeks ago, and about 100 later complained of flu-like symptoms. The school will be closed Monday and Tuesday. At a news conference following Sunday's CDC announcement, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden stressed that there's been no evidence that infections are spreading across the city. He said there is reason for concern, with so many students at one school affected by a new strain that's killed so many in Mexico:

FRIEDEN: However, it's reassuring that every case we've interviewed has been mild, many are already improving, and with careful looks at all of the intensive care units in the city, we have not identified an increase in severely ill people who may have this infection.

REPORTER: The city is awaiting the tests of additional samples to see if more students have been infected. In the meantime, Frieden says New Yorkers who have flu-like symptoms should avoid going to the hospital unless their condition becomes serious.

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