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Swine Flu Hits Southern Illinois
The H1N1 flu has reached Southern Illinois.

Illinois now has 393 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, the "swine flu," including one in Franklin County -- the first in Southern Illinois. Dr. Damon Arnold, director of the Department of Public Health, says cases across the state were expected, so seeing a case in Franklin County is not a surprise, and there is no need to be alarmed.

Kelly Jakubek of the Department of Public Health says the Chicago area has the most cases because it has the most people, and you get it from other people.

Jakubek says there's no reason to think the flu will now take off in Southern Illinois, because it has not been transmitted within populations -- that is, entire classrooms of children haven’t contracted the illness.

However, Jakubek says a few more cases are likely. So far, the cases in Illinois have been characterized as mild, with symptoms no different from the seasonal flu that sickens thousands each year.

Knox County has two of the confirmed cases. There are none confirmed in Warren County.

(WGIL News/Illinois Radio Network)
05 08 09 by Newsroom
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