All the more for protecting our borders.

“Tests show that eight students at a Queens high school are likely to have contracted the human swine flu virus that has struck Mexico and a small number of other people in the United States, health officials in New York City said yesterday.

The students were among about 100 at St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows who became sick in the last few days, said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, New York City’s health commissioner.

“All the cases were mild, no child was hospitalized, no child was seriously ill,” Dr. Frieden said.

Health officials reached their preliminary conclusion after conducting viral tests on nose or throat swabs from the eight students, which allowed them to eliminate other strains of flu. Officials were also suspicious since some St. Francis students recently had been to Mexico, where the outbreak is believed to have started.”

There is only one way a strain such as this gets all the way to New York. Infected people came from an infected region and passed along their infection. Legal immigrants are less likely to pass on infection due to testing required.

Swine flue is highly treatable here in the US responding to OTC drugs, but it nonetheless points out the danger of illegal immigration.

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