2 students in Richmond, Hanover have swine flu

SPECIAL REPORT:
SWINE FLU

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A student in Richmond and one in Hanover County are infected with the H1N1 swine flu, while a flu outbreak at a juvenile correctional facility in Chesterfield County is winding down.

Statewide, a total of 84 cases of the flu virus have been reported in 22 of the state's 35 health districts.

In Richmond, a student at William Fox Elementary School, 2300 Hanover Ave., was confirmed to have the H1N1 swine flu.

"The student remains out of school and is doing well," Felicia Cosby, a spokeswoman for Richmond Public Schools, said yesterday.

In Hanover Country, a third-grader at Pole Green Elementary School, 8993 Pole Green Park Lane, has been confirmed to have the infection.

Dale Theakston, a spokeswoman for Hanover schools, said a letter went home to parents and that the school system continues to practice the health department's prevention guidelines.

"The child was not hospitalized," said Dr. Brooke Rossheim, director of the Chickahominy Health District, which includes Hanover.

For privacy reasons, officials would not say much about the students.

"As part of our public-health investigation . . . we will be looking to see if there are other individuals who would warrant at least being given prophylactic medication to prevent influenza," Rossheim said.

"This is the same process we would use for seasonal flu as well," he said.

In the Richmond area, cases of H1N1 swine flu have been confirmed in the counties of Chesterfield (six cases) and Henrico (two cases).

The Chesterfield cases include youths at the state-run Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center.

"There have been no new cases of the virus detected at Bon Air . . . and all of the residents who did show symptoms have recovered," said Bruce Twyman, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. He added that the facility is expected to return to normal operations in all areas by today.

There were at least four confirmed cases at the center. About a dozen youths were quarantined at the center, and non-essential visits to the campus were halted temporarily to prevent more infections.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site yesterday reported 13,217 confirmed and probable cases of H1N1 and 27 deaths from the virus.

Globally, the World Health Organization reports there are cases in 74 countries.

Contact Tammie Smith at (804) 649-6572 or .

Staff writers Juan Antonio Lizama and Jeremy Slayton contributed to this report.