Swine Flu Suspected Among Plano Youth Group
Updated 10:42 AM CST, Fri, Jun 19, 2009
Health officials suspect swine flu has sickened at least 30 children in a Plano church's youth choir group on a bus trip in Colorado.
Colorado health officials suspect one or more choir members of the Grace Presbyterian Church contracted the virus in Texas before the eight-day trip began last Friday, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Dr. Bernadette Albanese, the medical director of the El Paso County, Colo. Department of Health and Environment, said they were running tests for the H1N1 influenza.
None of the children, who were complaining of shortness of breath, fevers and excessive coughing, have been hospitalized.
At least 70 children went on the trip and some of the healthy children have returned to Plano and the rest of the trip has been canceled.
The national count of swine flu cases has risen to 21,449 cases and the number of deaths have nearly doubled to 87.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the number of confirmed and probable cases Friday morning.
The tally is up from the last week's count of 18,000 cases and 44 deaths.
Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas have had the most reported illnesses, and the Illinois count rose more than 500 since the last report.
But CDC officials say much of the most recent flu activity has been in the Northeast. A quarter of the new deaths were in New York.
Copyright Associated Press
First Published: Jun 19, 2009 7:20 AM CST
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