Posted on 04/24/2009 6:37:04 PM PDT by Crazieman
Department Of Health Officials Testing 75 Students At St. Francis Preparatory School In Queens
New York City health officials say that about 75 students at a Queens high school have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms and testing is under way to rule out the strain of swine flu that has killed dozens in Mexico.
The Health Department's Dr. Don Weiss said Friday that a team of agency doctors and investigators were dispatched to the private St. Francis Preparatory School the previous day after students reported fever, sore throat, cough, aches and pains. No one has been hospitalized.
The handful of sick students who remained at the school were tested for a variety of flu strains. If they're found to have a known human strain that would rule out swine flu.
Results could take several days. In the meantime, the school says it's postponing an evening event and sanitizing the building over the weekend.
Mexican authorities said 60 people may have died from a swine flu virus in Mexico, and world health officials worry it could unleash a global flu epidemic.
(Excerpt) Read more at wcbstv.com ...
That is going to be America's epitaph. Political correctness is bad for your health.
22 million people in Mexico City, 20 confirmed dead of a flu like virus..One in a Million. I wonder how many kidnappings took place in the same time frame?
Um...more like 30 million people.
I’m thinking off all the American college kids who were down in Mexico for spring break just 2 weeks ago??????
The -—— have come home to roost.
This is the direct fault of zero, for all the pork he sent Mexico...
LOL! You got that right!
Me and my lady have a Cancun vacation in the books for the end of May. Boyoboy am I glad she suggested trip insurance and I did not argue (as I normally would, but she said she ALWAYS gets it). So, for an extra 89 bucks each we’re good if we cancel...
http://www.cdc.gov/media/transcripts/2009/t090423.htm
MAGGIE FOX, REUTERS: Can you tell us a little bit more about the genetic characterization of this virus. What virus it resembles? I also wondered whether you found this just because we’re looking more intensely now or whether you think this is a newly occurring virus?
SCHUCHAT: Thank you so much for that question. At this point we really cannot differentiate the idea that this is something completely that we were from something that we found out about because we have much better surveillance.
We really strengthened our effort to track influenza during the season. We’ve strengthened laboratory capacities at the state health department and we’ve initiated reporting that is notifiable for detection of any untypable influenza strain.
So the Public Health system really knows that we want to know about these unusual occurrences. Ten years ago we were not doing that so we may be seeing something and actively investigating something that has happened many times before.
On the other hand the reason we’ve strengthened all these surveillance systems was to really be able to detect new problems early. And I think that it’s very possible that this something new that hasnt been happening before.
In terms of the genetic characteristics, I would like to have Dr. Nancy Cox address those in more detail from what I’ve already said.
COX: Thank you very much. The virus that has caused these infections is viruses are actually very interesting. They contain genetic segments as Dr. Schuchat said from four different virus sources.
So we have some gene segments that are North American swine influenza viruses. Some gene segments North American avian influenza viruses. One gene segment from a human influenza virus and two gene segments that are normally found from swine influenza viruses in Asia and in Europe.
We actually have complete genomic sequencing done for the first influenza viruses that were isolated from the ten-year-old and the nine-year-old. Those two viruses are very similar but not identical to each other. Now we have partial gene sequences for two additional cases from California.
We’ve found that the gene sequences from the viruses causing infection in those individuals are very, very similar to those in the initial two cases. So, we’re seeing basically a virus that appears to be spreading from person to person in humans and viruses have very similar genetic characteristics to each other.
Baby....ALWAYS get travel insurance!!!!!! I can’t stress that enough! Been in some different countries and have fallen ill.
Worth EVERY penny!
The numbers are more like 900 infections 60 dead.
Mexican housekeeper, janitor, or kitchen worker?
fyi ping
... at least 30 million. In fact, there is no reliable way to tell how many people live in Mexico City because there are huge crowded areas where people are living completely "off the grid", no city water, no sewer, and no billed electrical service.
Any chance we can paint a red mark on the front door of every libtard’s home?
Oh...I thought it just covered a trip cancellation. I did not realize it covered health issues abroad when you go on the trip. Thanks!
Call me a “classist”, but I’ll say that they’re a little coddled at this “prep school” and this will turn out to be a case of mass hysteria.
They have the flu.
Harrumph! I don’t believe that.
Are you kidding me?
Hundreds of Students at Queens School Come Down with Flu
April 24, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. (WPIX) - “The Health Department is monitoring an outbreak of flu at St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, Queens, to see if the students may have come down with the swine flu virus. As many as 500 students have reported they were suffering from flu-like symptoms. Some of the students told WPIX they recently visited Mexico. The flu outbreak forced school officials to cancel an event called “International Night,” which was scheduled for Friday night. A thousand people had been expecting to attend.”
http://www.wpix.com/landing/?Hundreds-of-Students-at-Queens-School-Co=1&blockID=275362&feedID=1404
Oh no! My cousin’s daughter goes to that school. Gotta get the scope.
I was dubious at 75 and could have been talked out of it, but 500 out of 2700 (per the first couple of google results for “St. Francis Preparatory School”) in three days is straight out of a science fiction movie. Without rancor, I’m gonna stick with my own harmless opinion that it’s not swine flu and not even “regular” flu.
WHAAAT? Looks like they changed the article from 500 to 300 since you posted that excerpt!
Well they are testing the students as we type.(((((Hugs)))))
I hope you are right.
I thought I read 4 Million.
(((((Hugs)))))
St. Francis Prep, though quite large, is just a plain, ordinary Catholic High school, like many others in NYC. It’s not one of those fancy boarding type schools.
Much obliged. I really did have a mental picture of a 90210-type place.
I read something on WABC that said tests are already coming back negative for swine flu, and they should have all the results on Saturday.
Thank God.
Yeah, I noticed that too - weird!
“Open Borders”.The gift that keeps on giving!!!
You keep giving, it’s time you received ((((HUGS)))).
Update .((((((Hugs))))))

You've gotta love those open borders!
LOL! Your (((Hugs))) brought me a smile! :)
BreakingNews Japan is on alert because the swine flu outbreak; Narita airport will check the health of every passenger flying from Mexico City.
The quarantine station of Narita decided to use thermographic imaging to check the temperatures of passengers arriving from Mexico.
If only we were smart enough to do this.
Yeah, would be racial profiling in the US.
WHO (World Health Organization) had a big meeting today and came out with an announcement that said this particular flu appears to have the ability to participate in a pandemic ~ that is, it's an Olympic Class athlete among flu viruses, and, with 8 out of 90 who've been diagnosed as having the disease dropping dead, we already have a 9% deathrate.
That's pretty serious.
With no one having any natural immunity to any swine flu virus of any kind, it's possible everybody could catch this one ~ but Tamiflu seems to work in some cases (they hope).
Well, they got a first hand introduction into "international customs" didn't they?
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