Three more cases of swine flu were found in Johnston County elementary school children, officials said Tuesday.

The schools with confirmed cases are Cooper Elementary and Wilsons Mills.

Each school has one confirmed case and the other child does not attend school or daycare. All appropriate parties have been notified. These new cases are not unexpected.

According to county officials, the Public Health Department along with the Johnston County medical community continue to work diligently to monitor this situation and to assure the public's health is protected.

According to Johnston County school officials, two of the children are at home recuperating and will not be in school Wednesday. The third child is not enrolled in a Johnston County school. 

Officials said they have met with the Johnston County Health Department and determined that it is safe for all of students and staff to return to school Wednesday. 

"Appropriate cleaning solutions have been identified and have been used on a routine basis each day. These will continue to be used to disinfect all of our school sites," officials said in a press release.

The Johnston County Public Health Department is working to determine who might have been exposed before the patients showed symptoms. Officials will be notifying anyone with whom there was close contact. People who have been in close contact with the patients will be advised to go home at the earliest sign of illness and to minimize contact in the community to the extent possible.

Health officials encourage the following to prevent the spread of this virus.

• Wash hands frequently with soap and water.
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
• Avoid close contact with those who are sick
• Stay at home if you are sick

Contact your doctor if you or a family member begins to experience flu-like symptoms. 

For more information, please refer to the Johnston County School website Quick Links for H1N1 virus.  If you have questions, please call 1-800-662-7030

Influenza-like symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea or vomiting associated with this virus. Like seasonal influenza, novel H1N1 influenza in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Based on our experience, this strain of influenza appears to be milder than the seasonal influenza. Certain groups might be more likely to develop a severe illness from novel H1N1 infection such as persons with diabetes, heart disease, asthma or emphysema. Pregnant women are also at risk for complications from the virus. Those who feel sick should check with their health care provider.

If you have additional questions or want further information call the State of NC Care Line 1-800-662-7030 or visit the following websites: NC Division of Public Health www.ncpublichealth.com; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov; or Johnston County Public Health Department www.johnstonnc.com/health.