New York finds more probable cases, more schools closed

Apr 30, 2009, 16:38 GMT

New York - Authorities confirmed Thursday a total of 49 swine flu cases in New York City and eight, including five new ones, outside of the sprawling city, but said all of the cases were mild.

They also reported a surge in visits to doctors' office and hospitals by people who felt ill or had symptoms of the normal flu in spring time.

As in the past few days, New York authorities from Governor David Paterson to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg advised people not to rush to the conclusion that they had swine flu unless they became severely sick. In those cases, people should immediately go to an emergency room in a hospital, they said.

Authorities said a total of five schools were closed on Thursday, up from two on Wednesday, which are the Saint Francis and Public School 177 in Queens. The three others are in Brooklyn.

'There was no plan to close more schools, because there is no swine flu outbreak,' Bloomberg said.

New York City health commissioner Thomas Frieden said there were 49 confirmed cases and 16 probable cases. Of the 49 confirmed cases, 47 were from the Saint Francis high school in Queens whose students travelled to Mexico last month for their spring break. Daines said six other cases were under investigation.

The numbers vary from day to day. On Wednesday, the Centres for Disease Control said New York had 51 confirmed cases, and on Thursday, the CDC put the number at 50.

'Nothing about this incident should make anyone more likely to go to the hospital,' Frieden said. 'If, however, you feel really sick, you're having trouble breathing, you have an underlying problem like diabetes and you're sick, by all means, seek medical care.'

In their daily updates on the swine flu situation, Paterson said the eight probable cases outside of New York City appeared to not be serious.

Bloomberg said New Yorkers need not wear masks, but cautioned them to cover their mouths when they cough in public and particularly in crowded subways, which are used daily by more than 3 million people. He also asked people to stay home if they don't feel well.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva on Wednesday raised its alert level for swine flu to phase 5, its second-highest level, as the number of cases around the world continued to rise. WHO said phase 5 means the agency believes a global outbreak of virus is imminent.

The United States had about 109 confirmed cases in 11 states, the CDC said Thursday.

Local news reports said New York has received from Washington the first shipments the anti-flu medication Tamiflu, which were distributed to medical centers across the city and state.