Swine Flu: France Boots 'Disease- Ridden' British Kids

Recent H1N1-inspired flood of alcohol-based products into schools are also flammable

(NEWSER) - Schools are loading up on hand sanitizer in an effort to fight swine flu—but the alcohol-based panacea has problems of its own, the Chicago Tribune reports. Bottles and dispensers of the stuff are ubiquitous in classrooms, and officials have belatedly realized the dangers of its 65% alcohol content. “If there's an ignition source, it could catch on fire,” a fire official says. More»

Sick students start school in quarantine zones

(NEWSER) - College freshers across the country are starting their life in higher education confined to buildings full of their coughing peers, the New York Times reports. Fearing the virus will sweep through campuses, colleges have set up quarantine dorms for sick students, keeping them out of class and plying them with food and medication. Estimates are there are 2,000 current swine flu cases at colleges, and many, many more on the way. More»

Swine-flu-phobic official insists on 'Native American' greeting

(NEWSER) - Heading back to school in a French community normally means greeting friends with kisses on the cheek—but not when there’s swine flu to worry about. A mayor in Brittany has banned such public displays, and she won’t kiss anyone in greeting, either, the Guardian reports. Rather, she instructs children to hold up their hands and say “ugh!” when meeting. She says it’s a Native American custom—though that belief is widely seen as racist. More»

(AP) - Nobel Peace laureate and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias said today that he has swine flu, showing that not even a head of state is safe from the virus that has caused worldwide concern but relatively few deaths. The 69-year-old Arias said he is quarantined at home and being treated with anti-flu medicine. More»

France, Belgium see first swine flu deaths

(NEWSER) - A cruise ship carrying 60 crew members diagnosed with swine flu and 70 more showing symptoms has docked in southern France, the BBC reports. The infected will receive onboard treatment in Villefranche-sur-Mer. French officials say Spanish authorities confirmed the diagnosis, but Royal Caribbean, which owns the Voyager of the Seas, denied that report. The cruise line said it tested 64 people for influenza A, of which H1N1 is a strain, and found no infection, Reuters adds. More»