Shen student has the swine flu virus

Middle school pupil is second in Saratoga County with the illness

By HUMBERTO MARTÍNEZ, Staff writer
First published in print: Friday, June 12, 2009

CLIFTON PARK -- A Shenendehowa middle school student has the swine flu, the New York Health Department confirmed Thursday.


Shenendehowa school officials announced that a student at Acadia Middle School had contracted the illness, also known as the H1N1 virus. They did not specify how long the student has been out sick or when the student would return to school. The school will not be closed.

The symptoms exhibited by the student were mild and typical of seasonal influenza, including fever, sore throat, cough and a stuffy or runny nose. School administrators are asking parents if they are showing the same symptoms to keep their children at home.

As of Thursday, there have been two cases of H1N1 in Saratoga County, five in Schenectady County, one in Albany County and four in Rensselaer County, the state Health Department said. Of those, Schenectady and Rensselaer counties both reported single cases who were students.

H1N1 caused a scare two months ago when health officials nationwide worried it could spread to pandemic levels after healthy adults who contracted it in Mexico died. Since then, there have been 1,291 cases in New York.

-- Humberto Martinez