Plano Choir, Scouts May Have Swine Flu

PLANO - Health officials suspect swine flu has sickened at least 30 children in a Plano church's youth choir group and several Plano Boy Scouts. Both groups recently took trips to Colorado.

Colorado health officials suspect one or more choir members of the Grace Presbyterian Church contracted the virus in Texas before the eight-day trip began last Friday.

Dr. Bernadette Albanese, the medical director of the El Paso County, Colo. Department of Health and Environment, said they were running tests for the H1N1 influenza.

None of the children, who were complaining of shortness of breath, fevers and excessive coughing, have been hospitalized.

At least 70 children went on the trip and some of the healthy children have returned to Plano and the rest of the trip has been canceled.

A group of 14 Boy Scouts and one adult has also been quarentined at a camp in Colorado because two of the scouts tested postive for the flu. Some of the scouts are from Plano, officials said.

The scouts were taken to a hospital in the area after they started exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Tests to determine if they have swine flu are still pending.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday he national count of swine flu cases has risen to 21,449 cases and the number of deaths have nearly doubled to 87.

The tally is up from the last week's count of 18,000 cases and 44 deaths.

Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas have had the most reported illnesses, and the Illinois count rose more than 500 since the last report. But CDC officials said much of the most recent flu activity in the country has been in the Northeast. A quarter of the new deaths were in New York.