The case count for novel H1N1 or swine flu continues to climb in New York State. The largest number of cases are in New York City and its suburbs, but the Syracuse / Onondaga County area has a cluster as well.

There are 227 cases in New York City and 106 elsewhere in the state.

New York State map showing counties where novel H1N1 or swine flu cases have been discovered. Click on the image for a larger map.

New York City school closing status as of 5 pm May 20, 2009:

As of 5/20 5:00pm, a total of 24 public schools and programs - 20 in Queens, 1 in Brooklyn, 2 in the Bronx, and 1 in Manhattan - are currently closed. These schools have experienced unusually high levels of influenza-like illness in recent days.

• PS 16Q - reopening Friday, May 22
• P255 (District 75 program located at PS 16Q) – reopening Friday, May 22
• IS 5Q – reopening Friday, May 22
• P9 (District 75 program located at IS 5Q) - reopening Friday, May 22
• IS 238Q - reopening Friday, May 22 for staff and Tuesday, May 26 for students
• JHS 74Q - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• PS 107Q - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• MS 158Q - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• IS 25Q - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• World Journalism Preparatory (located at IS 25Q) – reopening Tuesday, May 26
• Q233 (District 75 program located at IS 25Q) - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• IS 318K - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• PS 19Q – reopening Tuesday, May 26
• PS 32Q – reopening Tuesday, May 26
• PS 209Q - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• P9 (District 75 program located at PS 209Q) – reopening Tuesday, May 26
• PS 130M - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• PS 35Q - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• Merrick Academy Charter School (located in Queens) – reopening Tuesday, May 26
• PS 242Q - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• PS 130Q - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• Q993 (District 75 program located at PS 130Q) – reopening Tuesday, May 26
• South Bronx Charter School for International Culture & the Arts (all three locations) - reopening Tuesday, May 26
• Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries (located in the Bronx) – reopening Tuesday, May 26

All of these schools are closed based on recommendations from the New York City Department of Health with the exception of the two charter schools in the Bronx, which made their own decisions to close.

Swine flu - novel H1N1 cases in New York State as of May 19, 2009. Click on image for larger map.

There are 273 cases of novel H1N1 or swine flu recorded in New York State at this time. 192 of them are in New York City and 81 outside the city. The city and its New York suburban counties have a total of 253 cases. Fairfield County, Connecticut, which is the nearest county to New York City, has 42 additional cases, 71% of Connecticut’s total case count.

19 schools have been or are about to be closed by the New York City Health Department. They are:

15 schools in Queens (I.S. 238, P.S. 16, Q255, I.S. 5, JHS 74, P.S. 107, M.S. 158, Our Lady of Lourdes, I.S. 25, World Journalism Preparatory, Q233, P.S. 209, P9, P.S. 19 and P.S. 32) and one in Brooklyn (I.S. 318)

Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced that the City Health Department has recommended closing three more schools – two in Queens and one in Lower Manhattan, for up to five school days after documenting unusually high and sustained number of influenza-like illness over a number of days. The three schools will be closed beginning Wednesday, May 20^th.

The three schools are:

• P.S. 130 (Fernando De Soto, 1,081 students), in Lower Manhattan. A total of 76 students were documented with influenza-like illness during the last six school days.
• P.S. 35 (Nathaniel Woodhull, 615 students), in Hollis. A total of 32 students were documented with influenza-like illness during the last seven school days.
• Merrick Academy Charter School (495 students), in Jamaica. A total of 19 students were documented with influenza-like illness during the last two school days.

Note that the closings are due to influenza-like illness (ILI), not directly to novel H1N1. Recent data from the CDC suggests that some 88% of ILI’s are not influenza of any type. Seasonal influenza is also still in play, and the CDC data suggest that over 8% of the ILI cases will be seasonal flu. Novel H1N1 is NOT the prevalent illness in most instances.

NYS Health Department
Statement from Richard F. Daines, M.D., Commissioner

Governor Paterson asked me to coordinate a statewide response to H1N1 swine flu. For 10 days we have been holding daily briefings to update you on our latest activities and the most recent information concerning the outbreak.

Yesterday, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) granted New York State independent testing status for the H1N1 virus, validating the testing conducted by the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Laboratories since April 28.

With CDC validation, all cases of H1N1 tested by Wadsworth Laboratories previously reported as “probable” are now considered confirmed cases. As a result, 16 previously reported probable cases in the State outside of New York City are now confirmed cases of H1N1.

Yesterday, Wadsworth Laboratories performed tests on four specimens from four patients, including two repeat tests. The tests resulted in no new cases of H1N1. The relatively low number of specimens for testing on Sunday was expected due to reduced weekend deliveries.

Overall, as of this morning [May 4 2009], a total of 90 confirmed cases of H1N1 have been identified in New York State, including 73 confirmed cases in New York City and 17 confirmed cases in counties outside of New York City, which include: three cases in Nassau County; four cases in Suffolk County; two cases in Westchester County; three cases in Orange County; and one case each in Onondaga, Cortland, Chautauqua, Monroe, and Lewis counties.

There are also six probable cases in New York City, where testing on specimens continues to be conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH). As of earlier today, the NYCDOHMH had not yet received notification from CDC that it has been granted independent testing status, although that approval is expected some time this week.

As Governor Paterson has noted, most cases of H1N1 in New York State appear to have a connection with Mexico. The individuals affected in New York so far are recovering, and symptoms have been mild to moderate.

The outbreak continues to affect several schools in New York State. The Ed Smith School in Syracuse is the most recent school to close as a result of a new case announced Sunday involving a student at that school.

Across the state, six schools or school districts have temporarily closed in Queens and in Onondaga, Suffolk, and Chautauqua counties. St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens reopened today after being closed for one week.

CDC released new guidance Saturday for closing schools for up to 14 days to allow the virus to complete its course before students return to school. When schools are closed, all related gatherings should also be cancelled, and parents and students should avoid congregating in large numbers outside of school settings.

Decisions on school closures should continue to be made locally by schools in consultation with local health officials. As directed by Governor Paterson, State Education Commissioner Richard Mills and I continue to update schools with the latest information. We will update the guidelines to schools to reflect the most recent CDC changes made over the weekend, and we will continue to provide updates if there are additional changes in school guidance.

The Department is preparing to deliver supplies of antiviral medicines to counties requesting these supplies. CDC has provided the State with 25 percent of our allotment of the strategic national stockpile of Tamiflu. The Department is beginning to deploy a portion of these 400,000 treatment courses to local health departments to ensure that the supply will be quickly accessible if the situation changes.

To date, the toll-free H1N1 (swine flu) hotline Governor Paterson asked us to establish beginning Sunday, April 26, has answered questions and addressed concerns from more than 6,000 New Yorkers, including more than 150 new calls received over the last day. The hotline is 1-800-808-1987. New York City residents should call 311. Resources are also available at www.nyhealth.gov/swineflu.

The highest number of cases of swine flu, or H1N1 influenza, in the United States are in New York State. The initial cluster was in and around St. Francis Prep in Queens. Other cases have developed outside of New York City, with most of the patients having a history of visiting Mexico recently.

Governor Paterson’s leadership has been invaluable in this evolving H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak in New York. As a result, New York is leading the nation in our response to this outbreak.

The Governor’s decision last weekend to activate the State’s health emergency preparedness plan has allowed us to act swiftly to monitor, identify and treat cases of H1N1 in New York State.

Yesterday [May 1 2009], the Department of Health’s Wadsworth Laboratories tested 43 specimens from 43 individuals, which included three repeat tests from the previous day. Three of those specimens tested probable for H1N1, including two from Suffolk County and one from Westchester County.

It is important to note that these three new probable cases have epidemiological links to Mexico – either they or those with whom they are in close contact traveled to that country.

Of the 43 specimens tested yesterday, five were positive for seasonal influenza and 33 were negative for any type of influenza. Two were inconclusive and will require additional testing.

To date, we have tested a total of 137 specimens from counties outside of New York City; 93 were negative for H1N1; 29 were positive for seasonal flu and 16 were probable for H1N1. Wadsworth Laboratories tested all but one of those specimens.

We are still waiting for validation by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the accuracy of the specimen testing performed by Wadsworth Laboratories. Once we have that, New York will no longer need to send specimens to CDC for confirmatory testing. Our Wadsworth Laboratories will perform confirmatory testing for H1N1.

As of last evening, there are 82 confirmed or probable cases in New York City:

• three in Nassau County;
• four in Suffolk County;
• two in Westchester County;
• three in Orange County; and
• one each in Cortland, Chautauqua, Monroe and Lewis counties.

It is important to note that the individuals affected are recovering and symptoms have been mild to moderate.

NYS Health Department
Statement from Richard F. Daines, M.D., Commissioner