Ten confirmed cases of swine flu have been reported in Otsego County, including two at Oneonta High School.
There is also a cluster of suspected cases under investigation involving Cooperstown Central School students, according to the Otsego County Department of Health on Monday.
"We know that H1N1 is in the community, and obviously it's in our schools," said Theresa Oellrich, the county's communicable-disease coordinator.
There are seven confirmed cases among Morris Central School students that were first reported last week. The county's first case of H1N1 was reported at the end of May. The two cases at OHS were confirmed late Friday, according to school officials.
All of the illnesses have been mild, according to county health and school officials.
The department is urging people to continue preventative measures and to not go to school or work if they are sick with flu-like symptoms. But the department will no longer be issuing media releases when new cases of the H1N1 flu virus are confirmed.
"From a public health standpoint, we feel that the message is more important than the number," Oellrich said. "I'm sure that we have more than what has been tested."
Officials with the Morris and Oneonta school districts and the county health department said they are hopeful that the school year's end next week will help prevent the spread of the virus.
None of the recent cases is suspected to be connected to travel outside the area, school officials said.
Nationwide, there have been 17,855 confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States, with 45 deaths as of Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New York state accounted for 1,160 of the cases and 13 of the deaths, according to the CDC's figures, which are updated each Friday. Most of the deaths have been patients with underlying medical conditions.
Figures from the state Department of Health updated Monday indicate there were 1,406 confirmed cases in the state, including one each in Chenango and Delaware counties.
Local officials discuss school absences
Morris Principal Leone Schermerhorn said 77 out of the school's 475 students were not in school Monday.
On Friday, there were about 75 absences.
Schermerhorn said she is concerned some parents have elected to keep their non-ill children home who were then allowed to play outside and ended up mingling with children who attended school.
"It defeats the purpose," she said.
Oneonta Superintendent Michael Shea said he did not have a count of the number of absences Monday, but said it was less than what was seen during February, when other illnesses were spreading in the school.
Shea said the number of absences Monday was "not alarming" and "nothing out of the ordinary."
Regents, graduation may be affected
With Regents examinations starting today, Morris school officials are planning to allow students who are well enough to attend school but who may have symptoms to don protective masks and take the exams in a separate room.
Shea said Oneonta may consider something similar. Regents examinations may also be retaken later in the summer, he said.
"I think the toughest issue is that if a student has a fever, they can't attend graduation," Schermerhorn said.
Schermerhorn said students who can't attend will be recognized at the July 9 school board meeting.
Both superintendents said the county health department's prevention advice is the best way to stop the spread of the virus.
It typically takes one-to-four days after exposure to contract symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, chills and vomiting, Oellrich previously said. But it can take up to seven days for the symptoms to appear.
People with chronic illnesses such as asthma are more at risk, she said. People who have H1N1 flu should stay home for seven days, or 24 hours after symptoms are gone, whichever is longest.
The virus is expected to remain a significant health concern into winter during the regular flu season, according to the CDC.
Because it is a new strain, there are no vaccines for it, and many people have little or no immunity, the CDC said in a report Friday.
"All the manufacturers are actively working on an H1N1 vaccine," Oellrich said.
Some of those who had confirmed cases have already returned to school.
