Swine flu update: Cases confirmed at NYC prep school

NEW YORK As of 1 p.m. Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 20 additional cases of swine flu in New York, bringing the total number of swine flu cases so far to 40 overall and 28 in New York.

The New York City Department of Health is investigating a cluster of illness at the St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens, where 100 students missed classes because of flu-like illness last week. Daily calls with hospitals and monitoring of admissions have yet to suggest a wider or more severe outbreak.

The 20 additional cases of swine flu were associated with the St. Francis Preparatory School, the CDC confirmed.

All of the patients suffered only minor illness.

The NYC Health Department has also identified 17 more probable cases within the St. Francis school cluster. Nasal swabs from those patients are undergoing confirmatory testing at the CDC.