Parents and guardians of Ottawa Elementary School students are being warned that a student has the H1N1 or "swine flu" virus.

A press release was faxed to The Times late afternoon Wednesday signed by Superintendent Craig Doster and Principal Jama Wahl.

The fax was directed to parents and guardians of Central North students and reads as follows:

"It has been brought to our attention that one of our Central North students was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus today, June 17. Since this is a critical health concern, we felt it necessary to inform our learning community. Families are encouraged to contact their family physician should symptoms be shown. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, high fever, muscle ache, sore throat, cough or irritable stomach.

"For further information on the H1N1 flu, please refer to the Center for Disease Control Web site at www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU or call the La Salle County Health Department at 815-433-3366."

Central North students are fifth-graders who were being schooled in space donated by the First Church of the Nazarene on Ottawa's North Side. Their last day of school was June 11. No further details were provided.

A press release from the La Salle County Health Department said a 10-year-old girl was diagnosed with the H1N1 flu.

Earlier this week a 35-year-old La Salle County man was the third in the county to be confirmed to have H1N1 influenza. Two La Salle County women, ages 22 and 49, also were previously confirmed to have H1N1 influenza.

Federal privacy restrictions prohibit the release of additional information about the case, according to the La Salle County Health Department.

The World Heath Organization recently raised their warning level declaring a pandemic for the first time in more than 40 years. Health department staff are actively monitoring and responding to H1N1, also known as swine flu, cases.