By Pacific Coast Business Times Staff Sunday, May 10th, 2009

Ventura County supervisors declared a flu emergency at their May 5 meeting after two confirmed and three probable cases of swine flu were reported countywide.  According to the Ventura County Star, there is another probable case in the Ventura County Jail.

Ventura County’s declaration of an emergency makes it eligible for reimbursement funds from state and federal agencies towards costs related to preventing the spread of the flu.

Three Ventura County schools were approved to reopen on May 6 after the Center for Disease Control announced that 700 U.S. schools could begin operating again.

One student at Newbury Park High School tested positive for the virus, as well as students from Haycox School and Blackstock Junior High School in Oxnard. A student at Redwood Middle School in Thousand Oaks tested positive for swine flu on May 6 as well, but that school will not close.

Newbury Park High School’s prom was rescheduled for June 5 because of the school closure.

The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department reported three confirmed and five probable cases on May 5, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune. Four cases involve individuals connected to the Grizzly Youth Academy in San Luis Obispo. The California Army National Guard with the SLO County Office of Education operates the academy.

There have been no suspected cases of the virus in Santa Barbara County.

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