A press release from the City of Long Beach Health Department yesterday afternoon revealed that five cases of swine flu have been confirmed within city limits. All patients are said to be recovering and doing very well. One of the cases is that of the CSULB student, which the lbpost.com first reported in this story.
The Health Department declared a local health emergency shortly after the news of the CSULB student broke. The other four cases were discovered over the past weekend, one of which is a Long Beach City College student.
In fact, three of the five confirmed cases are school-aged children, and the Health Department has met extensively with officials from LBUSD, LBCC and CSULB to discuss the possibility of school closures. At this time, all schools remain open and any student experiencing influenza like illness (ILI) is encouraged to stay home for at least seven days.
The Los Angeles Times last week reported that this particular virus does not seem to be as dangerous as originally thought, though it is still capable of spreading. In an lbpost.com interview with Long Beach City Health Officer Dr. Helene Calvet, M.D., Dr. Calvet revealed that the virus is so dangerous because it has never been seen before. Therefore, the human body has not developed any immunity to it.
Still, all Long Beach patients who have contracted the virus are recovering and doing well. Consult your doctor if you are experiencing ILI.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor
Follow the lbpost.com on our Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages.