Virus may have been present among Newberry Academy students before trip to Mexico

The Newberry Academy remains closed today for a second day as a precaution after some students returned from Cancun, Mexico, with flu-like symptoms.  The 13 students and an adult returned last Monday. Headmaster Robert Dawkins says that most of the students missed class for a majority of last week, and thought nothing of their symptoms until they started hearing reports of swine flu deaths in Mexico. Dawkins reveals they had reason to believe that the group’s illnesses began developing before they even left for Mexico.   “One of the young ladies we found out gone on the plane to go over there sick, with these same types of symptoms.” 
And Dawkins says another student also became ill.  “Then one of the seniors who did not go got sick on the day these kids were flying back in.  He got sick and had not been around them yet, and it was the same exact symptoms.” 
On Saturday, 11 of the 12 sick students attended their senior prom, possibly exposing a dozen  students from other schools. 
(Dawkins interview from Jimmy Coggins, WKDK Radio, Newberry)