The family of the Queens high school administrator who was the city's first swine flu-related fatality has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city. The Daily News reports the suit alleges the city failed to provide "accurate information about the flu" to I.S. 238 Assistant Principal Mitchell Wiener in a timely way, even as people in the school system were testing positive for the H1N1 virus back in May. more ›

With another school—this time, in Manhattan's Morningside Heights—closing due to high student absentee rates, worries about the swine flu continue. The NY Times tries to delve into what "underlying conditions"—something that the four swine flu victims who died had in common—actually are. Conditions like "diabetes, asthma, heart disease, lung disease, a weakened immune system and, possibly, obesity... could aggravate the effects of swine flu." The widow of Mitch Wiener, an assistant principal in Queens who was the first New Yorker to die from the H1N1 virus, told the Times, "Many, many people share the same underlying causes that my husband had, and if he’s at risk, many people are at risk," and was skeptical of the conditions playing a part in his death, "He was overweight and he was taking medicine for high blood pressure. How many people 50 and above don’t?" more ›

Today, 20 public schools that had been closed after many students were absent (due to flu-like symptoms) are reopening, but 17 schools/programs are closed or are closing. IS 238 is among the reopened schools; the school's assistant principal Mitch Wiener was the city's first fatal swine flu victim. His widow spoke out, puzzled that Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday, "In some senses, if you have H1N1 [virus], you should consider yourself lucky because it so far seems to be a milder flu than the garden variety." Bonnie Wiener, still reeling from her husband's death, said, "I'm not feeling very lucky. I'm sorry I can't agree with that. My children are not feeling very lucky either." Bloomberg had been trying to reassure New Yorkers after the second swine flu death—a woman in her 50s with an apparent underlying health condition—and the Daily News notes he backtracked, "It's very sad that those that we've lost are gone, but the good news is that so far it does seem to be a relatively mild flu." more ›

Yesterday, I.S. 238 assistant principal Mitch Wiener passed away, becoming the first NYC fatality of the swine flu. Wiener's illness was disclosed last week, when his school in Queens closed along with others. Mayor Bloomberg said, "His death is a loss for our schools and our city," and called him a "well-liked and devoted educator." more ›

Yesterday's announcement that three schools in Queens would be closed today and next week because of the high number of flu-like symptoms from students has raised concerns from parents about the H1N1—aka swine flu—infection all over again. One parent told the Post, "We thought this whole thing was over," and her 10-year-old son added that he was "scared -- because I don't want to see any of my friends get sick." more ›