Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – The Onondaga County Health Department reported four more cases of H1N1 swine flu across Onondaga County Thursday.
The health department says all four students are recovering.
Two of the children are students are Roberts School in Syracuse; one is a student at Hughes Magnet School and one is a student at Mott Road Elementary.
Onondaga County Health Commissioner Dr. Cynthia Morrow says all the schools will remain open. CDC guidlines recommend school closure only if keeping the school open poses a direct threat to the childrens' safety.
She says she suspects several more children have the H1N1 virus; the county is not doing widespread testing, but is testing select students to determine whether there are clusters of the virus within the county.
Morrow says she is closely monitoring absenteeism rates at schools within the county to see whether there may be an outbreak; so far, absenteeism rates have held steady.
Most cases of H1N1 virus infection have been mild, with symptoms resembling seasonal flu - fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and chills. There has been one death in the state linked to the virus.
A total of ten H1N1 virus cases have been confirmed within Onondaga County; nine of those are children. Morrow says the average age of those with confirmed cases is 15 years old.
Health officials expect laboratory-confirmed cases to represent a fraction of the infections in the state because many people don't seek care and recover at home.
The health department continues to reinforce that anyone who has mild flu-like symptoms should stay at home and not go to the emergency room or urgent care facilities. Residents with severe symptoms should contact their health care provider for medical guidance.
