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3 More 'Probable' H1N1 Flu Cases In The Metro

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May 5, 2009 9:02 pm US/Central

3 More 'Probable' H1N1 Flu Cases In The Metro

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ― The list of Minnesota schools tied to new probable cases of swine flu grew on Tuesday, but school officials and students mostly shrugged off the announcement.

One of three new cases involved Lake Harriet Community School in Minneapolis, which remained open. And two schools that had been closed after being connected with previous probable cases announced they would reopen on Wednesday.

Only one school, Hugo Elementary School in Washington County that houses only pre-school programs, was closed after being connected with a new probable case. Officials decided to keep the school closed until Monday.

The Minneapolis school's response was a clear departure from the precautions taken a week ago, when Rocori Middle School in Cold Spring found out it had the state's first probable case of the virus and planned to shut down for a week.

That school and a few others in the Twin Cities area reopened Tuesday, a day after the Minnesota Department of Health changed its guidelines for schools responding to the illness. Two schools -- Orono High School in Long Lake and Emerson Spanish Immersion School in Minneapolis -- remained closed Tuesday but were set to reopen Wednesday.

As for the Hugo school, White Bear Lake schools Superintendent Michael Lovett said the district is following guidelines set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Three, four and 5-year-olds aren't very good at washing their hands between putting their hands in their mouths and sharing toys," Lovett said. "We thought it was wisest and most prudent to follow the more conservative guidelines the CDC had in place."

Also Tuesday, Minnesota public health officials told legislators curious about the state's flu response that they have been planning for the "big one" but have yet to see signs it will reach such severity.


When swine flu first broke out, the Minnesota Department of Health asked doctors to send specimens from any patients with flu-like illnesses to the state for testing. While the department will continue to do some limited surveillance at out-patient facilities, doctors are being asked to submit suspected swine flu specimens only for patients who have been hospitalized for flu-like symptoms.

So far, the state lab has received 462 specimens, with all but 19 processed. Three new probable cases, including the ones in Hugo and Minneapolis, were announced Tuesday to bring the state's total probables to nine. All of the cases await further testing, said Kris Ehresmann, an infectious disease specialist at the state Health Department.

Besides Ehresmann, the House and Senate health committees heard from several officials, including leaders in Stearns County, where Minnesota's only confirmed swine flu case was reported in Cold Spring.

John Linc Stine, an assistant Minnesota health commissioner, told the panel that the agency is studying the early response to the flu outbreak to shore up vulnerabilities.

"Whether or not we are ever fully prepared is the test of time," Stine said.

In addition to backing away from earlier recommendations to shut down schools where suspected cases have been reported, health officials say virus samples will be tested only in patients who have been hospitalized.

Fear over the flu spread has caused a surge of visits to emergency departments at children's hospitals, said Patricia Stinchfield, a registered nurse and infectious disease expert at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

"A child sneezes, a parent worries. They hop in the car and come to the ED," Stinchfield said.

She noted that 80 percent of patients that her hospitals are seeing are from Spanish-speaking families, a figure that may be tied to the virus' suspected origin in Mexico.

Ehresmann said the Health Department has been giving extra attention to Hispanic communities in its outreach, visiting Cinco de Mayo festivities and airing ads on Spanish language radio.



(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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