May 23, 2009, 13:34 GMT
Rome - Authorities on the Italian island of Sicily put 14 schools under observation as a precautionary measure against influenza A(H1N1), Italian Deputy Health Minister Ferruccio Fazio announced Saturday.
It had originally been reported that the schools would be temporarily closed.
The measures came as two high schools in Rome on Friday were closed for a week after four students there fell ill with new flu. The stricken students had returned on May 19 from a study trip in New York City, where a number of cases have been found.
Another 396 students who also were on the trip, including some from the schools under observation in Sicily, are to be tested.
No actual cases of new flu A(H1N1), also known as swine flu, have been found in Sicily, but should such cases arise, actual school closures would be considered, said Fazio.
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