Officials: Bridgeview teen not a Swine Flu victim

BRIDGEVIEW-- State and local health officials are investigating the death of a 15-year-old southwest suburban high school student, but are downplaying rumors victim had Swine Flu.

 Robert Regalado, 15, of West. 73rd Place, was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn at 11:17 p.m. Thursday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner.

The sophomore baseball player at Reavis High School in Burbank apparently died of natural causes, a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Center said Friday morning, though he had been sick and apparently suffered seizures.

The parent of another Reavis High student reported that school officials had told her son the boy died of Swine Flu, but school officials denied making such statements.

Reavis High authorities said Friday afternoon the Illinois Department of Public Health had been notified of the death and is investigating. But health officials gave no indication the death was related to Swine Flu, District  220 Supt. Jim Steyskal said.

Results of an autopsy Friday came back inconclusive and the medical examiner's office was awaiting results of toxicology tests to make a final determination. But a spokesman said the death did not appear to be flu-related.

The school has been "given no indication it is Swine Flu-related," Steyskal said in a conference call which also included principal Dan Riordan.

“At this point only the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office can tell us what it is,’’ Steyskal said.

“We have in place support staff to provide students with grief counseling,’’ Riordan said. But there "are no recommendations to close the school at this time."

While there have been three confirmed cases of Swine Flu in Illinois and another 51 "probable" cases according to IDPH, no cases have been reported at Reavis, according to Dr. Christopher Grunow, health director of the Stickney Public Health District.

"We did have a death reported in Stickney Township, and health officials are involved in an investigation," he said Friday morning. "But at this point there are no indications it was flu-related."

Grunow said he was not aware of any flu cases in the Stickney area.