Business
Ohio school closed on swine flu case
Third grader had recently visited Mexican cities
An elementary school was closed Monday as health officials worked to contain the spread of swine flu, which sickened a 9-year-old student who has the same strain suspected in a deadly outbreak in Mexico.
The third-grader, who is recovering at home, had recently visited several Mexican cities while on vacation with his family, state health officials said Sunday. His is among 20 cases of swine flu that have been confirmed in the U.S.
Doctor's offices and hospitals in Elyria were being urged Monday to isolate patients who have flu-like symptoms, said Clifton Barnes, a spokesman for the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency.
School officials closed Ely Elementary School for the week at the advice of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said district spokeswoman Amy Higgins. Parents of its 350 students were called and notified Sunday.
As an added precaution, a cleaning crew went inside the school Sunday night to sanitize doorknobs, desktops and telephones, Higgins said. No additional cases have been reported at the school or elsewhere in the district, she said.
Shopping at a strip mall about a block from the school, Sarah Kane, 27, said she was concerned about the outbreak but confident health officials would be able to contain it.
"Our hospitals, they do a very good job of figuring this out and getting on top of things," Kane said.
The U.S. government declared a public health emergency Sunday to respond to the outbreak, which also has sickened people in New York, Kansas, California and Texas. Many of them had recently visited Mexico.
The child in Elyria displayed typical seasonal flu symptoms, including a sore throat and body aches, state health officials.
His family members did not have any flu-like symptoms, Barnes said Monday.
The boy, who returned from Mexico within the past two weeks, started feeling sick Wednesday, health officials said. He was treated for flu symptoms at a city health clinic, where an astute nurse practitioner began asking questions and realized he might have swine flu.
The student's contact with classmates last week didn't go beyond normal school activities, Higgins said.
Symptoms of the swine flu virus closely resemble those of the seasonal flu and include fever, weakness, coughing and lack of appetite.
The acting head of the Centers for Disease Control, Richard Besser, said Monday people can best protect themselves against the swine flu threat by taking precautions they were taught as children, like frequently washing their hands and covering their mouths when coughing.
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