2nd teen in Henry likely has swine flu

By Craig Schneider and Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A second teenage boy who attends a private school in Henry County has tested positive for swine flu, health officials said Wednesday.

The second case at Eagle's Landing Christian Academy is a 13-year-old boy, said Veronda Griffin, a spokeswoman for the Clayton County Health Department. Health officials said that the positive test must be confirmed by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Earlier this week, state officials confirmed that a 14-year-old boy at the school has swine flu.

State health officials also announced that two members of the military from the Augusta area also probably have swine flu.

While the CDC must still confirm the three new probable cases, state officials said they are confident the cases would be confirmed.

Griffin said her health department learned about the second case at Eagle's Landing from a local health provider. The state Division of Public Health declined to say what school the 13-year-old attends.

Henry County health officials said they have contacted about 60 people who had contact with the first flu victim at Eagle's Landing, and that some are showing flu-like symptoms and some were being tested for swine flu.

Eagle's Landing school officials, who had planned to close the school for two weeks, readied the school to open today after federal health officials changed their recommendations for closing due to the flu.

If the three cases announced Wednesday are confirmed, they would join four previously confirmed cases of the virus in Georgia. In addition to the 14-year-old Henry County youth, they are a 3-year-old Cobb County boy, a 36-year-old pregnant woman from Dunwoody, and a 30-year-old Kentucky woman hospitalized after attending a wedding in LaGrange. She remains in stable condition.

A separate probable case, an 8-year-old girl in Clayton County, is also undergoing final testing.

Eagle's Landing staff met at the school Wednesday, and officials said they had completed a thorough cleaning of the building.

The baseball team was back taking infield and batting practice in advance of Friday's Class A playoff series at Commerce High.

Eagle's Landing sports teams were told they could not compete until the school reopened. Players were thrilled to be back on the field, especially since their last game was a heartbreaking 8-7 loss in the region tournament.

"We really didn't want to end on that note," senior second baseman Tanner Bailey said.

Coach Doug Campbell added, "We thought we were finished the other day. ... We've been preparing all year to at least have a chance to compete in the playoffs."

The boys track team also got a reprieve and will compete in the state meet that starts today.

The three-day school closing will not force Eagle's Landing to extend its school year beyond the end of May, said assistant head of school Chuck Gilliam. Instead, teachers will work to make up the lost time.

Susan Lance, senior director of the state Office of Protection and Safety, did not identify or provide the ages of the "military people" from the Augusta area, but she did say both were males.

She said it remains unclear whether the two men are now in Georgia or where they may have contracted the virus.

Georgia health officials Wednesday decided they will no longer offer information on swine flu cases beyond the age, county and gender of a patient. Past reports have detailed how the person may have contracted the virus, whether other family or friends were getting sick, and the condition of the afflicted person.

State officials said they were adhering more closely to existing confidentiality laws. After the first student tested positive for the virus at Eagle's Landing, health officials said they were unsure how he had contracted the virus.

While the number of confirmed and probable cases of swine flu in the U.S. continues to rise, health officials say the virus doesn't appear to be as dangerous as once feared.

"We remain to be concerned," the CDC's acting director, Dr. Richard Besser, said Wednesday. Besser warned that some of the increase in numbers could be attributed to more tests being completed.

Staff writer Rhonda Cook contributed to this article.