Illinois health officials report nine "probable" swine flu cases in the state. "Probable" meas there's a 99 percent chance it's swine flu.
Five of the victims are in Chicago.
Two in Kane County.
One in Dupage, and one in Lake County.
Victims range in age from 6 to 57.
Health officials stress the need for calm. Be alert. Be aware. Be prepared. Those health officials remind us the flu kills 36-thousand Americans each year. Are we paying extra attention because it's called SWINE flu? Would we be alarmed if it was called something else-- like "type B flu"?
The City of Chicago has two websites. One allows you to sign up for "Notify Chicago" alerts. Another has a flu fact sheet available in English, Spanish, Polish, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Vietnamese, Burmese, and Russian.
http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/ChicagoAlertWeb/
