Nashua teen is NH's 16th case of H1N1

A fifth Nashua resident – a 12-year-old who attends school out of state – has been diagnosed with a likely case of H1N1 influenza, or swine flu, raising the number of cases in New Hampshire to 16.

“We are happy to report that all the patients in New Hampshire who have been diagnosed with H1N1 are recovering and doing very well,” said Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Nashua cases include, in order of being announced publicly: A 13-year-old who attends school in Massachusetts; a 13-year-old who attends public school in Nashua; a 3-year-old who apparently contracted the disease during an out-of-state vacation; an adult; and most recently, a 12-year-old who attends school out of state.

Rivier College announced Monday it will skip the traditional good-job handshake as diplomas are handed out at the college’s graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 16.

The college’s development and marketing director Karen Cooper said the handshakes will be skipped since physical contact is one of the way influenza viruses, including H1N1, or swine flu, are passed from person to person.

The college decided to skip the shakes based on the advice of the state Department and Health and Human Services and the national Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Cooper said.

Rivier is hardly the first college to do away with handshakes at commencement exercises this spring.

Press reports show similar measures have been taken at a number of schools across the country.

For questions about H1N1, call 1-888-330-6764 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/H1N1 flu.