Fred Mogul

New York, NY —

It's Cinco de Mayo -- a celebration of Mexican independence and culture and a day to introduce what its creators claim is the world's first kosher Tequila. Star Industries President Marty Silver says the new product isn't just for Cinco de Mayo in Boro Park:

SILVER: ...

New York, NY —

Emergency room visits surged last week and have somewhat receded this week -- although admissions have been flat the whole time. Only a small handful of those rushing into ER's even warranted testing for swine flu. But the pattern highlights how people in some neighborhoods ...

New York, NY —

At the city’s health lab, scientists and technicians have been working almost around the clock to determine whether strains of flu circulating might be H1N1, or swine flu. Officials opened the doors to the lab yesterday for a rare glimpse of how the system works. ...

New York, NY —

Over the weekend, the City Health Department received what amounts to a swine flu I.D. kit from the CDC. WNYC’s Fred Mogul is one of only a handful of reporters who was allowed into the public health lab since the outbreak, and he joined us ...

A woman hands out ...

New York, NY —

Vice president Joe Biden says he's told his family to stay out of confined spaces because of swine flu, including airplanes, and mass transit.

BIDEN: I would not at this point be suggesting they ride the subway.

Biden's remarks, made this morning on NBC's Today Show, prompted ...

Church officials in Brooklyn are closing Saint Brigid\'s School because a student is sick and has a sibling at Saint Francis. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

New York City now has 49 confirmed swine flu cases, up from 44 yesterday, with two new probable cases. But City Health Commissioner Dr.Thomas Frieden says the outbreak here remains a mild one.

“Despite hundreds and hundreds of cases likely, we have not identified severe flu. That means up till now this virus is acting the same way seasonal flu acts.”

All of the cases are associated either with the outbreak at Saint Francis Prep in Queens, which will remain closed all week, or with recent travel to Mexico. Public School 177, which is close to Saint Francis, will also remain closed, after several people there became ill.

State Health Commissioner Dr, Richard Daines says that one known swine flu death in the U.S. — that of a Mexican toddler visiting Texas – should be put into context:

“Just to remind everyone, every year, due to our seasonal influenza, we have pediatric deaths in NY. eight cases in 2007-2008 season, and seven cases to date in our normal seasonal outbreak.”

Daines says the state has identified three probable swine flu cases in Suffolk, Orange and Cortland Counties. He says the same batch of tests also identified six cases of the seasonal flu strain that’s been going around this season. He says it’s likely that people who feel “flu-ey” have garden-variety flu, and not the H1N1 strain.

Mayor Bloomberg updates New Yorkers on the Swine Flu, April 28, 2009. (Edward Reed)

One cluster. That's what Mayor Bloomberg and other officials told reporters to focus on yesterday: the single swine flu outbreak at St. Francis Preparatory School.

Twenty-four hours later, two additional clusters have emerged at other schools, and there are five individual cases health authorities are analyzing.

So far, almost all the cases have been mild. All but a couple of people at St. Francis have been improving. Now, however, we've learned of the first hospitalizations: an adult, who was admitted and discharged, and a two-year-old, who is still in an undisclosed hospital. Nation-wide there had been one hospitalization. To date, there are still no deaths in the US. In Mexico, there have been more than 150.

Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden says in many regards the swine flu is following a normal pattern of spreading, except that it's much later than usual. What's troubling, he says, are the deaths in Mexico and the unpredictability of a new strain. But in a city of eight million people, thousands die each year from normal flu. No one should be surprised, Frieden and Bloomberg repeatedly say, if this one leads to more hospitalizations and, yes, even deaths.

'We do not know whether it will continue to spread new strains sometimes fizzle out, over time. And we do not know if it's worse. So far it doesn't appear to be. But it's early.'

Bloomberg and Frieden say they now believe 'hundreds' of people associated with St. Francis were probably infected with swine flu, but they say there's no point in testing them all. Most were mild. Almost all seem to be on the mend.

Whatever practical value there is to NOT testing them in order to focus resources elsewhere, the city will benefit -- if that's the word -- from merely having its 45 confirmed cases pasted on cable news maps (already more than the rest of the country), rather than a number in the hundreds.

People wear surgical masks to help prevent being infected with the swine flu, as they ride the subway on April 28, 2009, in Mexico City.

Passengers from an international flight are pictured on a thermal scanner monitor as they have their temperatures checked upon arrival at the Sukarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta on April 28, 2009 (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty Images)

Local officials say there will be more updates on the swine flu outbreak today. The New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines will hold a press conference later this morning, and his New York City counterpart this afternoon. So far, all the cases -- 28 confirmed by medical testing, 17 listed as 'probable' -- have been linked to St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens.

Yesterday, city officials said other cases are being investigated, but they refused to say how many or where they were. They also said federal authorities are shipping 'thousands' of additional doses of Tamiflu to New York City to 'pre-position' a stockpile in case the outbreak spreads. Tamiflu is one of the only medications considered effective against the H1N1 strain of swine flu.

New York, NY —

The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in New York City more than tripled yesterday as more test results came in. Currently, there are 28 cases and another 17 listed as "probable", all of them associated with St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens. None ...

New York, NY —

This week the US Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the Voting Rights Act. It's commonly associated with the civil rights era and the Deep South, but the law also affects voting in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

REPORTER: Those ...

New York, NY —

The number of New York City's swine flu cases has jumped, from 8 to 28, with another 17 suspected cases. Mayor Bloomberg says this doesn't mean the flu is spreading, it's still confined to one cluster, at Saint Francis Prep High School in Fresh Meadows, ...

New York, NY —

Local Congressional delegates will hold committee hearings today to expand federal funding for World Trade Center medical screening and treatment. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

REPORTER: They are seeking more than $10 billion over 10 years. Similar efforts in previous years stalled, but bill sponsors are ...

Incoming New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Cardinal Edward M. Egan.

Incoming Archbishop Timothy Dolan took a break from unpacking and preparing sermons, to talk about baseball, theology and his ...

New York, NY —

City health officials will be in Virginia this week at a national conference hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss how best to combat bedbugs. Assistant Health Commissioner Dan Kass says bedbugs have resurfaced in force in recent years, after largely disappearing for many, ...

New York, NY —

As Archbishop Timothy Dolan prepares to become the spiritual leader of New York's 2.5 million Catholics, he says he won’t be shy about turning to his predecessor, Cardinal Edward Egan.

DOLAN: "I gotta be honest – maybe administration would not be my strong suit. So I ...

Brooklyn Jews celebrate the biblical creation of the sun. (Matt Carl)

The eight-day festival of Passover starts at sunset tonight, and millions of Jews around the world will join with their ...

New York, NY —

The first wave of federal stimulus money is starting to work its way into community health clinics around the state. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

REPORTER: $25 million for more than clinic networks around the state will disappear pretty quickly. Elizabeth Howell of the Community Healthcare ...

New York, NY —

Local health clinics are looking forward to expanding staff and services, thanks to ‘fast-track’ funding from the federal stimulus package. Elizabeth Howell of the Community Healthcare Network says her nine-clinic group hopes to being hiring new doctors with the $500,000 she expects to get in ...

New York, NY —

The state is changing how it reaches out to drug and substance abusers with AIDS and other infectious diseases. As a result of budget cuts, Albany’s eliminating a network of outreach programs that’s been around for almost 25 years. WNYC’s Fred Mogul visited one neighborhood ...