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The city health commissioner, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools and police are expected at a Wednesday morning press conference discussing the closure of a Far North Side elementary school in the Rogers Park neighborhood. The press conference will be held at 7 a.m. at Kilmer Elementary School at 6700 N. Greenview Ave., according to Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond. City Dept. of Public Health Commissioner Terry Mason and CPS CEO Ron Huberman are expected at the conference, according to Bond, who declined to say why Mason would be in attendance.Blognotes: Rogers Park officials have considered abandoning the term swine flu, because it is confusing it's residents into thinking they could catch the deadly virus from pork. Furthermore, Joe Moore is leading the charge to create an ordinance banned swine flu in Chicago. After going though a few committee hearings, the swine flu ban is expected to reach a full city council vote in November.
Police said early Wednesday there was “something going on” at the school that was related to the swine flu. Police News Affairs could not provide any details about the press conference. Source/Read more.
Three 49th Ward tips for avoiding swine flu:
1) Don't eat bacon.
2) Stay away from the Farm in the Zoo in Lincoln Park.
3) Wash your hands after playing with your Miss Piggy doll.
RELATED: Swine flu 'debacle' of 1976 is recalled. "The government wanted everyone to get vaccinated, but the epidemic never really broke out. It was a threat that never materialized. What did materialize were cases of a rare side effect thought to be linked to the shot."
Update: Swine flu closes Rogers Park school
A North Side elementary school has been closed because of swine flu, the Chicago Public Schools said this morning. In an e-mail message this morning, CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond said the school's closure was "a result of the swine influenza." She would not say whether the closure was precautionary or if there was one or more confirmed cases. Contacted by the Tribune this morning, Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman declined to comment.
Update #2: Police have a detail at Kilmer School.
Update #3: I've gotten a couple of emails already asking why Sullivan High School isn't being closed too? After all, it's right across the street.
Update #4: Television coverage of Ground Zero.
CBS 2 Breaking News: Swine Flu Closes School In Rogers Park.
NBC 5 Breaking News:
Swine Flu Closes Rogers Park School
Update #5: Ground Zero radio coverage.
WBBM AM 780: Swine flu closes Rogers Park Elementary school.
Update #6: "There is one probable case of swine flu at Kilmer School."
Melanie Arnold
Illinois Department of Health
Update #7: "A 12 year old has contracted the swine flu virus... It's an isolated incident.... The building is safe... The building can't contract the virus...."
Joe Moore
Swine Flu Expert
Bed Bug Expert
Update #8: Lower than average attendance has caused the alarm for targeting Kilmer. 94% last week to 87% this week.
Update #9: The student is recovering at home.
Update #10: Having had enough questions they can't answer, Ron Huberman, Dr. Mason and Monique Bond leave the podium from the news conference, walking away from the media. Following behind, Joe Moore takes a few steps - then stops - and turns around for more interviews. Joe Moore can't help himself. Joe Moore is a full-fledged media whore!
Update # 11: A bus driver is pissed and honking his bus horn. Joe Moore mediates and tells the bus driver to chill out.
Update #12: Parents are showing up with their kids claiming they weren't told a word of this virus. They're pissed.
Update #13: This may be worse than they're telling us. Parents now are saying multiple kids went to the hospital last night.
Update #14: A police car is driving around the neighborhood informing the kids over the public address system not to to go to school today because of swine flu. Neighbors are pissed.
Update #15: Media whoring. Joe Moore on FOX 32. Part 1.
Update #16: Media whoring. Joe Moore on FOX 32. Part 2.
Update #17: Full Press Conference.
Update #18: Pink Floyd - Pigs.
Update #19: Q and A.
Is this swine flu virus contagious?
CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it is not known how easily the virus spreads between people.
How can someone with the swine flu infect someone else?
Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.
Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.
From the CDC.
Update #20: Alderman Rainey Reports....> "One of the probable confirmed cases for Swine Flu was seen in the emergency room of St. Frances Hospital, Evanston, Illinois. Staff of the Health and Human Services Department is educating staff who provided care in the emergency room of the confirmed probable case to receive post-exposure medication."
Update #21: The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to the second highest level, meaning that it believes a global outbreak of the disease is imminent. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan declared the phase 5 alert after consulting with flu experts from around the world. No word if she contacted Joe Moore?
Update #22: Rogers Park 60645 said...> I was just speaking with the head priest at St. Ignatius (ground zero) and they will be canceling the handshake of peace for Sunday's mass.
Update #23:. It's spreading in Rogers Park. The Chicago Department of Public Health has informed Loyola University that a Loyola student has a probable, but unconfirmed, case of swine flu, and that it appears to be isolated at this time. The student, a male, 20 years old, who lived on-campus in Fairfield Hall, has been home for several days and is doing well.
Loyola Community,Update #24: Chicago Mathematics and Science Academy principal Ali Yilmaz said 14 high school students and 10 middle school students were absent Wednesday. Two students were sent home from school because they were exhibiting flu symptoms, he said.
The Chicago Department of Public Health has informed the University that a Loyola student has a probable, but unconfirmed, case of swine flu, and that it appears to be isolated at this time.
The student, a male, 20 years old, who lived on-campus in Fairfield Hall, has been home for several days and is doing well.
At this time, authorities have informed the University that it can continue to conduct business as usual. Please visit Loyola’s swine flu Web site for updates and information at http://www.luc.edu/erp/swineflu.shtml.
As always, we encourage everyone to take precautions in order to stay healthy and to do your part to keep the community safe. Public health authorities recommend the following:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth, as germs spread more easily that way.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick. If you get sick, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Symptoms of swine flu are similar to seasonal influenza and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting. Students experiencing flu-like symptoms should call the Wellness Center at 773.508.8883, and faculty and staff members should contact your health care provider.
For more information about the swine flu, please visit these helpful links:
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/general_info.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm
http://apahelpcenter.org/articles/article.php?id=194
Sincerely,
Diane Asaro, MSN, RN, BC
Director, Wellness Center
"Sick kids won't be allowed to return unless they have notes from their doctor saying they have been cleared," he said.
Rosa Lee Roman, 16, sat in her uncle's car outside of the Math and Science Academy on Wednesday afternoon wearing a yellow face mask. She was out sick, she said, and waiting for tests from the hospital to confirm whether she had the swine flu.
"I got sick on Monday," she said, stifling a cough. Source/Read more.
48 comments:
This Swine Flu thing is really causing a widespread panic. My family and friends are scared, and now with Klimer getting closed (because it's litterally across the street from Sullivan), this is starting to make me panic. I was considering taking the rest of the week off (and all of May) from school so I don't catch this.
I hope everyone who has Swine Flu recovers sooner or later.
The CDC has issued an alert of the first death from swine flu in the United State this morning.
Yeah, I heard that too. Hopefully nobody else dies from this in our country.
Who wrote these cavalier "suggestions" for avoiding the virus? He or she is a moron, not a responsible blogger:
Three 49th Ward tips for avoiding swine flu:
1) Don't eat bacon.
2) Stay away from the Farm in the Zoo in Lincoln Park.
3) Wash your hands after playing with your Miss Piggy doll.
Does anybody agree that if a person was not a legal citizen they may be a bit more reluctant to get swift medical attention for their child?
yep rogerspark - I completely agree!!! with all the people bypassing our border, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. I have been reading about the predictions for quite a while. This will probably make the national news.
lol. That's right!!! Blame the ill-ee-guhls.
Don't shake hands, wash them frequently, cover your mouth in the crook of your arm when you cough, and ask others to do the same.
If you or your child(ren) are ill, stay home.
Don't panic, just be smart.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/gurley/detail?entry_id=39273
Phred, that is called "humor," i guess you've never heard of it?
Another take on the "Epidemic":
Media pigs misinforming public about so-called "epidemic"
Dear Friends,
Those filthy swine... The swine flu "epidemic" is only a few days old, and Big Pharma is already plotting to make a fortune. European drug maker Roche announced it was scaling up production of Tamiflu, giving a boost to its stock price and sending millions into the Roche coffers. GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the anti-flu drug Relenza, is also seeing its stock price climb, as investors hope this swine flu is the biggest thing since the bubonic plague. There's only one problem here – it's not going to happen.
You read the Daily Dose because I always give you the straight scoop, and because I'm not afraid to tell you when the mainstream has it wrong. And they have it wrong on swine flu. It won't be an epidemic – it'll barely even be a ripple. I've run medical clinics in Africa – I know what an epidemic looks like. And this isn't it. The media is blowing swine flu out of proportion so it can feed its 24-hour news cycle – the same media, mind you, that had us convinced that avian flu was going to destroy the planet a few years ago.
But here are the facts about swine flu – it has affected so few people in America that it's hardly worth discussing. There are 64 confirmed cases in America as I'm writing this – not 6,000 or even 600. There are 64. Of course, the media is fixated on the 100 or so people who have died in Mexico from the swine flu. But let me clue you into something that no one seems to be discussing – health care in Mexico is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. I know – I've been there more times than I can count. Disease spreads rapidly through Mexico because large areas of the country lack clean water and basic sanitation. Seeing a doctor – let alone a qualified doctor – is a luxury unavailable to most of the population. Of course the flu is killing people in Mexico – so are a lot of other diseases that are successfully treated in America. People in Mexico still die from diarrhea, for Pete's sake!
Yes, they have apparently had some cases of bad swine flu in Mexico. They've had lots of dengue fever and chagas, too, but you don't need to stay up at night worrying about it. Beating the swine flu isn't any different from beating the regular flu. Wash your hands. Avoid large crowds if you can. Get plenty of rest and fluids if you start getting sick. And don't be afraid to eat pork or any other meat, for that matter, as it's not the pigs who are getting sick. Of course, I'm not recommending you eat Mexican pork – or any food produced in Mexico, for that matter. Hopefully the tainted peppers outbreak of 2008 taught us that. But don't change your diet because of some so-called swine flu epidemic.
It's no epidemic. It's no public health catastrophe. It's good theatre – and nothing more.
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.
Copyright (c)2009 by www.douglassreport.com, L.L.C. The Daily Dose may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission.
I am pleasantly surprised that Joe had the balls to go on camera with you. With the exception of "eat your vegetables" his response was very good.
Humor, eh?
If it's "humor," then it is an extremely lame attempt, and totally misguided considering the severity of this virus.
This one could go global quickly. Like some other global pandemics, this flu kills the healthiest people - ages 20-50. Especially those 30-40. Not the very young or old but the ones with the best immune systems. That's because their immune systems totally overreact and the victims die of fever and inflammation and too much fluid in the lungs. You don't die of the flu so much as you die from your body's overreaction to it. So if you're 30-40 and healthy - look out.
This thing is a mutant cocktail mixture of avian bird flu, two strains of swine flu, and one human flu strain. Yuck! There is no vaccine or natural immunity so there's nothing to stop it from blasting through airports, schools, markets, offices, etc. It could move across the world really fast. Like water hitting a sponge or a brush fire.
Think about it: an infected person, still in incubation so they don't know they're sick yet has a 3 hour layover at O'Hare between flights. They drink at the bar, eat at the restaurant, use the bathroom, watch TV in the lounge, buy a magazine at the store, and generally infect the whole place. Now multiply that situation by all the other people there who are doing the same thing and soon will also be on their way to destinations all over the world. Then their newly infected children go to school...
Hopefully this thing just fizzles out and goes away. That would be great. But it does have the potential of becoming a global pandemic flu virus that constantly mutates and kills millions of people (or tens or hundreds of millions of people) over several months or even years.
The next few days/weeks should show us where it's going in the short run. But the 1918 flu started out relatively mild like this one, went dormant and mutated, and then came out again to kill somewhere between 30-100 million people.
==But the 1918 flu started out ... between 30-100 million people.
I've heard concerns that it will do just that, becoming very wide spread and dangerous in the fall/winter flu season. Hopefully they will have time to develop a vaccine. I don't know much about how long such a process takes.
Beware of the billyjoe strain of the swine flu. It will turn your mind to shit...
Panic and fear are starting to form in Rogers Park.
I'm really not surprised we have swine flu in this country with all the pork Obama has been throwing around lately...
Phred, I'm terrified. Really.
It's hilarious that Joe was pissed that nobody called him before Fox news.
After all, a call to Joe's office never results in any kind of response, so why bother with the fat mope in this situation?
Naturally, however, he showed up in time to stand in front of the television cameras and basically offer nothing.
I heart RP,
I heard on NPR that there should be a vaccine for this strain in September-October. Whether it will be incorporated into the regular flu shot or something different is unclear. Also, it was unknown whether people would need to get multiple series of the shots.
People should not forget that Tamiflu is proving to be effective on this strain. That is good news (for now?)
A votre sante!
Is it swine flu or just the effects of a recent dinner at Heartland Cafe? It's difficult to distinguish between the two.
Calm down. Relax. You're more likely to get hit by a stray bullet in Rogers Park than catching the swine flu.
Call it "scaremongering" if you want, but the authorities were absolutely correct to close the school.
We should have sealed up the borders immediately.
If you think I'm over-reacting, consider the 1968 Hong Kong Flu epidemic. It killed over 33,000 people in the U.S. alone. I was a high school kid at the time, and fell very ill- was flat on my back with a 104-degree fever for two weeks. A fifth of our student body was out, and two kids at another nearby high school died. It was worse that it came side-by-side a local epidemic of spinal meningitus that killed a couple of other kids in my area.
This strain of flu is said to combine the genes of pigs, birds, and humans in "a manner that has never been seen before".
The World Health Organization says it is "considering" upgrading it to a Stage 6 Pandemic, the very most severe.
But our media and most of our pols are downplaying the threat and declining to take aggressive measures, like restricting travel, for fear of spooking the financial markets and injuring the profits of travel-related industries.
Shame on us for placing the profits of SOME corporations ahead of the health of the citizens. We should consider the probable economic consequences of a full-scale pandemic with a death toll that could quickly mount into the hundreds of thousands if measures aren't taken swiftly to arrest the spread... since all anyone in this country ever thinks of any more is money and how to ensure that Wall St will profit no matter what happens to the rest of us.
"Calm down. Relax. You're more likely to get hit by a stray bullet in Rogers Park than catching the swine flu."
Thanks Craig. As a happy (and safer) resident of Evanston, I've been more or less saying the same thing about RP for the past several years.
Anytime a flu gets a name people panic. It's a natural response, but you have to realize, that in Nov/Dec all the news start talking about the flu and how bad it's going to be that year. People die from that I believe around 36,000 each year. All the networks then tell you the same thing to prevent that flu, as they are with swine flu. Wash hands, cover your mouth ect.
So if you feel sick, stay home, and if it gets worse then go to the hospital. There's No need for panic, common sense and your awareness of your body will be how you make it through this.
Two professors have independently mapped out the projected course of the flu and came up with the same results.
The Northwestern professor estimates about 1,700 people in America will be infected but 299 million will not. Interesting read.
NWU Flu Model
The Kilmer student who is ill, a 12-year-old girl, is now hospitalized.
WHO has raised the alert level to 5.
12 cases of the flu have been reported so far in the Chicago area.
Cinco de Mayo has been cxl'd because of the outbreak.
the only thing scarier than the dreaded swine flu is...walking my dog at 6:30am before work, and running into AlderJoker Moore standing in front of the bright lights he craves so much. because of professional dilemna, i was not in a position to yell "you suck Joe!" at the top of my lungs while he was "answering" a question from some newsmodel-although i really wanted to.
he likes to brag about how unique we are here in RP. yes, we have gangs and drug dealers like most other neighborhoods. but how many neighborhoods say they have gangs, drugs, bedbugs, AND swine flu, all at the same time?
as someone once said, "heckuva job, Brownie".
I was just speaking with the head priest at St. Ignatius (ground zero) and they will be canceling the handshake of peace for Sunday's mass.
"Naturally, however, he (Alderman Moore) showed up in time to stand in front of the television cameras and basically offer nothing."
...and when a shooting takes place in his ward, Joe is silent.
No kidding on the panic, Craig. When I went to the Morse market with one of my teachers today, barely nobody was out. Kids in school were wearing masks that cover the mouth (a couple even had medical gloves on) and were talking all day about this.
Craig, I don't know if you know or not, but is there any word on a possiblity of Sullivan closing tomorrow? There's been rumors flying all day about that.
Also, do you think Rogers Park is the only neighborhood in panic right now. Back here in Avondale and Logan Square, nobody really seems to be worried.
throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Now that is going to be a tough one in this neighborhood - I'm convinced most people up here don't know what a trash can is.
Julia - agreed there - Joe only seems to come out of the ground when he thinks there are bright shiny tv cameras and he's not in trouble
A few things...
First, does anyone else think Joe resembles Jerry Mathers (aka Beaver Cleaver)?
Second, is the virus an unavoidable thing? Shouldn't mother nature "cull" the herds now and then?
Third, over 25,000 people die every year of some strain of flu, aren't we overreacting?
The LA Times is disputing the flu hysteria:
"Relatively mild"
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-swine-reality30-2009apr30,0,3606923.story
Note to Timmy: As you attend Sullivan HS, you can dispel closing rumors by simply calling the school and asking. You're in a better a position to obtain the truth than hearing it from Craig.
St. Margaret Mary's confirmation mass is Saturday evening for the 7th graders. I am wondering how they are going to handle the distribution of the wine and the handshake of peace.
While Joe Nomore talks about the flu and it is a health issue....mmmmm I wonder what the CDC would say about the shootings in Rogers Park. Aren't shootings a health issue or is death in the heart of the receiver!
Finally out of RP!!!!!
Congrats Chicago.
Where did you move to?
Well, Phred (aka billyjoe), I usually trust Craig because he's a good source, but you're correct that I can call and ask.
More BS from the MSM trying to boost the ratings and divert attention from other things. I deal with the public every single day. They cough at me, sometimes they try to spit on me and sometimes we roll around on the ground when I try to arrest them. That's the half of it. I'm not worried about this so called "flu epidemic" in the least. But it is interesting to watch how little our country does to protect it's citizens as opposed to what other countries are doing. I guess being PC is more important than the safety of the citizens.
Congrats coz the guy moved? Big deal - I bet we have all moved more than once!
OH yes, we must be PC - much more important than getting the truth out to the people or following necessary precautions.
My wife and I bought a townhouse in Glencoe. I never wanted to move to the north shore, but I am very glad I did. We can actually take a walk at night without fearing for our lives!
"My wife and I bought a townhouse in Glencoe. I never wanted to move to the north shore, but I am very glad I did. We can actually take a walk at night without fearing for our lives!"
Way to go! Living in Glencoe will be like being on another planet.
what are you saying Leslie? Getting out of a crime plagued area has some agenda rapped around it? Not sure I understand.
"First, does anyone else think Joe resembles Jerry Mathers (aka Beaver Cleaver)?"
gosh Wally, I didn't mean to level the Adelphi.
They should consider mowing down most of RP east of Clark St., then start over completely.
In the agriculture business, it's referred to a "slash-and-burn," and the argument for it (metaphorically speaking) is as follows: The nutrients from the scrub ashes will fertilize the soil and foster new and better crop growth.
I can't seem to get over how ugly Joe is.
H1N1 (referred to as “swine flu” early on) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. Symptoms of swine flu are similar to those caused by other influenza viruses. Health authorities across the globe are taking steps to try to stem the spread of swine flu after outbreaks in Mexico and the United States. The World Health Organization has called it a "public health emergency of international concern."
thnx,
Amanda
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