More NY schools close in response to Flu-like Symptoms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sunday, May 17, 2009

(212) 788-5290

Health Commissioner Frieden and Schools Chancellor Klein Announce City Will Close Three Additional School Buildings in Response to Increased Flu-like Symptoms

City monitoring situation and reassessing daily; New Yorkers with underlying, chronic health conditions should seek medical attention if exposed to flu

May 17, 2009 - Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced that the City Health Department has recommended closing three more school buildings in Queens for up to five school days after documenting unusually high and increasing levels of influenza-like illnesses. The three school buildings will be closed beginning Monday, May 18th.

The three school buildings are:

• M.S. 158Q (Marie Curie School; 1,143 students) in Bayside: 41 students were documented with influenza-like illness last week.
• Our Lady of Lourdes (424 students) in Queens Village: 37 students were documented with influenza-like illness last week.
• Q025 building (1,320 students) in Flushing, which includes I.S. 25Q or Adrien Block (825), the World Journalism Preparatory (445) and Q233 at Q025 (50): 27 students were documented with influenza-like illness last week in this building. All three of these schools will be closed beginning Monday.

Late last week the city closed five schools in Queens (I.S. 238, P.S. 16, I.S. 5, JHS 74 and P.S. 107) and one in Brooklyn (I.S. 318) after documenting confirmed cases of H1N1 at I.S 238Q, and unusually high levels of flu-like symptoms in the other schools. The Health Department continues to work with the Department of Education to reassess the situation daily and make decisions regarding school closures on a case by case basis.