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http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6819749
Swine flu concerns close more schools
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 | 12:14 AM
by Bob Monek, Eyewitness News
Link to video - wouldn't embed properly.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City announced four more schools would be closed in response to swine flu concerns.
Like the others, the new schools in Queens will be closed for up to a week because of an "unusually high and sustained" number of cases of students with flu-like symptoms.
That brings to 16 the number of public and private schools that have been closed in the city because of the virus.
New Yorkers took their fears about the flu to a new level on Monday, from wearing surgical masks on public streets to taking their children out of the city schools as a precaution.
As emergency rooms and clinics began to fill-up with coughing, wheezing people who may or may not have the flu, city officials admitted on Monday that they were unable to control the virus. They focused, instead, on controlling its symptoms, which could be fatal in the elderly and the chronically ill.
The death of assistant principal Mitchell Wiener, said Mayor Bloomberg, was an exception.
"Our experience so far has been when kids and most adults get this strain of the flu, the symptoms have been mild and people recover from it within a few days," he said.
Students at I.S. 238 remembered Wiener on Monday, the day after his death.
"I don't think anyone can replace Mr. Wiener, he was very, very funny and will be dearly missed," Leon Ramotar said.
He was the pied piper of I.S. 238 -- where Mitch Wiener went, his students, past and present would follow.
"He was very inspirational in my life. I used to think of him as Santa Claus," Gopaul Salick, former student, said.
Crews cleaned inside the school on Monday where the flag now flies at half-staff. Parents worried if their child would be the next to come down with swine flu.
"I just took him to the doctor to make sure everything is right with him," Alvin Phagu said.
Many were puzzled how, over the course of about a week, Wiener got sick, ended up in intensive care on a ventilator and then died.
"We don't comment on an individual situation, but we do state that Wiener had an underlying medical condition," Dr. Thomas Frieden, NYC Health Commissioner, said.
Wiener's family insists that his only preexisting situation was gout from a year ago, lashing out at officials for not closing the school when students were first diagnosed with swine flu.
Some parents also wondered could Wiener's death have been prevented, recalling a note that had been sent home.
"They said it was false, said there was nothing to worry about and now I hear what's going on, I'm very very mad about the whole situation," Michelle Sheodial said.
The symptoms continue to sweep the city's schools. At PS-73, we watched as one child after another went home sick.
Across the Hudson River in Union City, officials announced the closing of an elementary school for the next week.
Union City School Superintendent Stanley Sanger says a boy at the Robert Waters Elementary School has the virus. District officials say the boy is hospitalized in stable condition and is expected to recover fully.
The school, with 1,300 students in pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, will be closed until May 26.
Sanger says five other students are being tested for swine flu, but the results aren't back yet.
---
Information from N.J. Burkett, Lucy Yang, Kemberly Richardson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Swine flu concerns close more schools
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 | 12:14 AM
by Bob Monek, Eyewitness News
Link to video - wouldn't embed properly.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City announced four more schools would be closed in response to swine flu concerns.
Like the others, the new schools in Queens will be closed for up to a week because of an "unusually high and sustained" number of cases of students with flu-like symptoms.
That brings to 16 the number of public and private schools that have been closed in the city because of the virus.
New Yorkers took their fears about the flu to a new level on Monday, from wearing surgical masks on public streets to taking their children out of the city schools as a precaution.
As emergency rooms and clinics began to fill-up with coughing, wheezing people who may or may not have the flu, city officials admitted on Monday that they were unable to control the virus. They focused, instead, on controlling its symptoms, which could be fatal in the elderly and the chronically ill.
The death of assistant principal Mitchell Wiener, said Mayor Bloomberg, was an exception.
"Our experience so far has been when kids and most adults get this strain of the flu, the symptoms have been mild and people recover from it within a few days," he said.
Students at I.S. 238 remembered Wiener on Monday, the day after his death.
"I don't think anyone can replace Mr. Wiener, he was very, very funny and will be dearly missed," Leon Ramotar said.
He was the pied piper of I.S. 238 -- where Mitch Wiener went, his students, past and present would follow.
"He was very inspirational in my life. I used to think of him as Santa Claus," Gopaul Salick, former student, said.
Crews cleaned inside the school on Monday where the flag now flies at half-staff. Parents worried if their child would be the next to come down with swine flu.
"I just took him to the doctor to make sure everything is right with him," Alvin Phagu said.
Many were puzzled how, over the course of about a week, Wiener got sick, ended up in intensive care on a ventilator and then died.
"We don't comment on an individual situation, but we do state that Wiener had an underlying medical condition," Dr. Thomas Frieden, NYC Health Commissioner, said.
Wiener's family insists that his only preexisting situation was gout from a year ago, lashing out at officials for not closing the school when students were first diagnosed with swine flu.
Some parents also wondered could Wiener's death have been prevented, recalling a note that had been sent home.
"They said it was false, said there was nothing to worry about and now I hear what's going on, I'm very very mad about the whole situation," Michelle Sheodial said.
The symptoms continue to sweep the city's schools. At PS-73, we watched as one child after another went home sick.
Across the Hudson River in Union City, officials announced the closing of an elementary school for the next week.
Union City School Superintendent Stanley Sanger says a boy at the Robert Waters Elementary School has the virus. District officials say the boy is hospitalized in stable condition and is expected to recover fully.
The school, with 1,300 students in pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, will be closed until May 26.
Sanger says five other students are being tested for swine flu, but the results aren't back yet.
---
Information from N.J. Burkett, Lucy Yang, Kemberly Richardson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.