Swine flu closes Polk school

LAKELAND - Santa Fe Catholic High School in Lakeland will be closed until Monday because of swine flu. It is the first school in Polk County to close because of the pandemic. Just last week, Bishop McLaughlin High School in Pasco County closed for the same reason.

Santa Fe closed on Thursday because of what happened the day before: according to a spokesman for the Diocese of Orlando, 20 percent of students and staff at Santa Fe called in sick.

Although two school closings may seem foreboding, the head of the Polk County Health Department says there is good news.

"In general, in Polk County, we're actually seeing a slight decline in flu activity, and even though there are flu cases out there in school children and in offices, we are not seeing a disruption in the school system," said Dr. Daniel Haight.

Haight says no public schools in Polk have closed because of swine flu.