Last NY Schools Reopen After H1N1 Outbreak

The two remaining New York City-area schools shuttered over suspected swine flu cases have reopened as concerns over the virus ease.

Wednesday's reopening of P.S. 177 in Queens and Rye Country Day School in Westchester County came a day after federal health officials said the swine flu virus had turned out to be milder than initially feared. The officials said there was no longer a need to close schools.

The New York City school that was the epicenter of the nation's swine flu outbreak - St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens - reopened Monday after a weeklong shutdown.

The majority of New York City's 74 cases have been traced to St. Francis.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn says three other schools closed because of suspected swine flu cases reopened on Monday.

The government last week advised schools to shut down for about two weeks if there were suspected cases of swine flu. Hundreds of schools around the country followed that guidance and closed schools.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday the government was changing its advice on closing schools.

Sebelius says parents should still make sure to keep sick children at home.

The number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States is now over 400, with hundreds more probably cases.

Meanwhile, Texas health officials on Tuesday announced the first death of a U.S. resident with the H1N1 virus (swine flu), and said she was a 33-year-old schoolteacher who had recently given birth to a healthy baby.

The woman died early Tuesday and had been hospitalized since April 19, said Leonel Lopez, Cameron County epidemiologist.

Health officials stopped short of saying that swine flu caused the woman's death. State health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said the woman had "chronic underlying health conditions" but wouldn't give any more details.