17 new probable cases of swine flu; schools to close in Utica, Plymouth-Canton

Francis X. Donnelly / The Detroit News

The discovery of 17 more probable cases of swine flu in Michigan has led to the closing of a second high school in Macomb County and the entire Plymouth-Canton School District, it was announced today.

Utica High School, which has 1,375 students, will be closed until May 13 and the Plymouth-Canton schools, with 19,000 students, will be shuttered Monday and Tuesday, the school districts said.

Of the 17 cases announced Sunday, four are in Macomb County, four in Livingston and one in Wayne. The others are in Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.

The latest cases bring to 37 the number in Michigan. Utica High joins L'Anse Creuse High in Harrison Township, which is closed until May 11 after a student was discovered with a possible case of H1N1 flu. At Utica, two students have probable cases of the virus.

With Plymouth-Canton schools, the Wayne County Health Department told the district that a 16-year-old girl who attends one of the schools may have the virus.

The girl didn't go to Mexico, where the worldwide outbreak began, but was in contact with a friend who had traveled there. The friend doesn't show any signs of having the flu.

All the probable cases will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to confirm whether she has the virus. Because of the large number of cases the agency is receiving, it won't have the results for three days, it said.

The school district will disinfect its buildings during the two-day closing, and alert the public of any possible further actions on Tuesday, a school official said.

Of the 37 cases in Michigan, two have been confirmed to be the H1N1 flu. One is in Livingston County and the other in Ottawa County in southwest Michigan.

fdonnelly@detnews.com (313) 223-4186