California marks 8th swine flu case, school closed

By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California confirmed its eighth case on Monday of the swine flu that is threatening to become a pandemic in a student whose illness prompted officials to close a Sacramento-area Roman Catholic school.

Three other children at St Mel Catholic School in suburban Fair Oaks also become ill and were being tested for the disease, Sacramento County health officials said.

It was the first known case of the swine flu in Northern California, but officials said all of the illnesses at St. Mel, which has about 270 students in grades 1 through 8, have been mild.

California's seven other cases were reported in San Diego and Imperial counties, which share a border with Mexico. Health officials said they were investigating 12 other possible cases in the state.

The seventh-grader, who was not identified by officials or the school, was initially tested locally and found to be infected with a type-A influenza.

St. Mel was expected to remain closed at least through Thursday.

"The bottom line is, we are prepared," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told reporters at a briefing. "We are taking quick actions in California but what is important is that every individual is helping us."

The most severe case found in California so far involved a 35-year-old woman who became ill on April 4. She was hospitalized in intensive care but has since recovered.

State health officials have not ordered any border restrictions but Schwarzenegger has advised Californians to take common-sense precautions.

California Schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell said the state's school system was monitoring the flu outbreak.

"Our schools are safe," O'Connell told Reuters. "To keep this in perspective, we have seven identifiable cases of swine flu in California limited to two counties, and we have 6.3 million students."

"We want to take every precaution," O'Connell said. "We are monitoring. We are watching."

(Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Suzanne Hurt in Sacramento; Editing by Eric Walsh)