Tulsa Public Schools officials notified FOX23, an employee at Jackson Elementary is the confirmed case of swine flu in Tulsa County. The school is located in the 2100 block of N. Pittsburg. Because of the mild nature of the virus in this case, TPS says the health dept. has not recommended closing the school.
TPS is notifying parents via an automated telephone call system. Custodial crews will disinfect all areas of the school tomorrow.
Parents and students are urged to take precautions including frequent hand-washing, and stay away from people with flu-like symptoms.
TPS officials will meet Saturday morning to discuss what's next. See complete coverage on FOX23 News.
This press release from the OK State Dept. Of Health:
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) today reported 10 new confirmed cases of the novel influenza A (H1N1). This brings to 14 the number of confirmed cases in Oklahoma.
The rapid increase in Oklahoma’s case confirmations is a result of the transition from confirmatory testing by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the OSDH Public Health Laboratory’s ability to conduct the confirmatory testing and report positive specimens quickly. This expanded testing capacity is likely to result in an increase in the number of reported confirmed cases in Oklahoma and in other states whose public health laboratories are now conducting confirmatory testing.
The newly confirmed cases include persons reporting flu-like illness from April 23 through May 7. Many of the cases have recovered.
· Oklahoma County, five adults (two males and three females)
· Seminole County, female teenager
· Kay County, female adult
· Kingfisher County, female teenager
· Cleveland County, male child
· Tulsa County, female adult
State and local public health officials are coordinating with local schools and school nurses to monitor for any increased illness or absenteeism.
The OSDH H1N1 flu toll-free hotline is open daily from 8 am to 8 pm and will be open this weekend. Persons with questions should call 1-866-278-7134. Oklahomans can also stay informed by visiting www.health.ok.gov and www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu, or by calling your local county health department.
There are also two other confirmed cases in Cleveland County, another child in Oklahoma County, and one in Pontotoc County.
