Local News

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ― The Minnesota Department of Health confirmed the state's first case of swine flu on Thursday, leading school officials to keep a central Minnesota middle school closed through Tuesday.

The Minnesota Department of Health said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the case in a person with ties to Rocori Middle School in Cold Spring.

The middle school and a private elementary school next to it closed for a second day on Thursday.

Rocori Superintendent Scott Staska said health officials told him the case is confined to the middle school, and there were no immediate plans to close other schools in the district. For now, St. Boniface School will also remain closed.

State Health Commissioner Sanne Magnan said officials are continuing to investigate how the person contracted the virus and whether it has spread.

"You can expect that there will be more cases," Magnan said at a news conference in Cold Spring.

In announcing the probable case a day earlier, health officials said the person was expected to make a full recovery. They have not identified the person.

More than 100 people in the U.S. had been confirmed with swine flu in more than a dozen states. It has also made people sick in Mexico and several other countries.

Magnan said officials were looking at the current case to get a better idea of how the virus behaves, but she said there are many unanswered questions about whether it will remain a threat. "This is the unpredictability of the influenza," she said.

The state has tested more than 100 samples, but the Cold Spring sample was the only one that came up as probable for swine flu. The confirmation came back from the CDC one day after the sample was flown on the state plane to Atlanta.

Magnan said officials were in the process of testing about 50 more samples, including 10 from central Minnesota. The CDC is providing states with the laboratory materials for swine flu testing that will allow them run their own tests for the illness. Magnan said Minnesota's lab should be able to start the testing by early next week.

Minnesota health officials continue to recommend that people take commonsense steps to protect themselves and others: Wash your hands frequently, cough and sneeze into your sleeve, avoid sick people. If you feel fluish, stay home.

While the regular flu season is winding down, heath department spokesman Buddy Ferguson said that might not be the case with a new virus. "If you have a completely new influenza virus like this, it will typically not follow the regular flu seasonal pattern," he said.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty urged Minnesotans to take certain precautions, but he said the state is prepared to handle the illness if it spreads.

"It is a cause for concern but not a cause for panic," Pawlenty said.

Pawlenty and his advisers have refrained from calling the suspected illness swine flu and instead referred to it as "H1N1 novel flu" -- a distinction of importance in a major pork-producing state.

Though there is no vaccine for this strain of the flu, Magnan said antiviral drugs have been effective and Minnesota is expecting additional stockpiles of those from the CDC. Some of the 400,000 doses the state currently has will be distributed to regional hospitals in case of immediate need, health officials said.

In Cold Spring, a town of about 3,000 people 60 miles northwest of Minneapolis, officials and residents were beginning to take in the news.

"Even though we've had some time to think about it, it is still certainly surprising," City Administrator Larry Lahr said.

Mayor Doug Schmitz said residents aren't changing their daily routine because of the swine flu case in their town.

"Everybody's just taking it in stride just like any other day," he said.

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Students at ROCORI Middle School will not have to make up the missed classroom time at the end of the year. While parents may be worried about the spread, they compliment the response from state and local officials.

"I'm really not that concerned but definitely it's a serious situation and we just have to go along with what the officials are telling us," said parent Pat Brink.

Health officials say the most important thing to do is wash your hands. Experts say you should use soap and warm water and wash for at least 20 seconds. That's the same as singing the "Happy Birthday" song twice.

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