Swine Flu Fears Ease

By Marcus Gilmer in News on May 4, 2009 2:00PM

You might have noticed that while you were outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather this weekend that the growing concern over the swine flu peaked and now we're on the downward slope of this latest pandemic threat. For Illinois, the number of cases reached - as of yesterday - at 96 probable and still just 3 confirmed; nationally, there have been 226 cases reported in 30 states so far with the death toll standing still at 1. Still, as hysteria faded and common sense settled in, realizations were that the current strain of the H1N1 Influenza A virus was no stronger than the seasonal flu that half of us dealt with over the past winter. Still, officials are cautious. Yesterday, Kathleen Sebelius, the new secretary of health and human services, said, "The early news seems to be cautiously optimistic. We certainly can't get complacent." Locally, over a dozen schools remain closed today as a result of the flu and attempts to prevent its spread. As always, check out the Illinois Department of Public Health for more info. [Tribune, Sun-Times]