State education officials yesterday defended their decision to keep 'Anuenue School open after five new confirmed cases of swine flu were connected to the Palolo campus.

The new cases bring the total number to 26 in Hawai'i. And half of those cases are linked — directly or indirectly — to 'Anuenue.

"We don't want the tail wagging the dog. We're trying to stay open," said 'Anuenue Principal Charles Naumu. "We're looking out for the welfare of all the students as much as possible and the education of all the students as much as possible."

Naumu said the school is following department policy to remain open unless 10 percent of the school's population falls ill. The school has 353 students and about 50 staff and faculty members. Despite the decision to stay open, many 'Anuenue parents are deciding to keep their children home. On Friday, about half of the students at the Hawaiian immersion charter school were absent. Yesterday, about 33 percent of students did not attend, Naumu said.

'Anuenue parent Malia Kauffman said she planned to keep her 5-year-old home today after hearing about the new cases of swine flu at the school. She said she thinks the school needs to be closed down and disinfected.

"I'm mad the school is still open," Kauffman said.

But Tia Kukar, a parent of a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old who attend the school, disagrees. She said her children have been told to wash their hands frequently and follow other precautions, so she feels safe sending them to school.

"I told them, 'If I can go to work, then you can go to school,' " Kukar said as she waited outside the school yesterday.

Four of the cases confirmed yesterday are family members — a parent and three children who attend 'Anuenue School. The fifth case is also an 'Anuenue student, but is not related to the family, said state Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo.

Four other cases of swine flu have been directly linked to 'Anuenue, while officials said three other cases were found to be indirectly linked. Those cases include two 'Ewa Elementary School students who came in contact with a sibling who attends 'Anuenue. An infant confirmed to have the flu on Friday was also in contact with two previously identified cases at 'Anuenue.

In addition to the cases at 'Ewa Elementary, individual student cases previously have been confirmed at 'Aina Haina Elementary and Mililani Middle schools. Another school-age child with a confirmed case of swine flu is not in the public school system, the Department of Education has said.

The only non-O'ahu-related case involved a person from Maui County who contracted swine flu after traveling to Washington state.

All five of the people confirmed with swine flu yesterday are recovering at home.

LIKE SEASONAL FLU

Okubo said the new cases of swine flu — or H1N1 influenza — are "similar to the ones we've seen and most have recovered at home, very similar to seasonal flu." She added, "We're expected to find more cases. This is not unusual for us to find cases in the schools."

Nationally, health officials warned people to stay vigilant, although most cases of swine flu have proven mild. "Unfortunately, based on the trends we're seeing, we do expect more illness, more hospitalizations and more deaths," Anne Schuchat, of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a briefing yesterday. Nationwide, there have been 5,123 cases of the flu.

Five deaths in the United States have been linked to swine flu.

The first three diagnosed cases of swine flu in Hawai'i were confirmed May 5, and involved an Army couple and a school-aged child. Since then, the numbers have grown quickly and health officials say they are continuing to investigate other suspected cases as they are reported.

Naumu said teachers and students at 'Anuenue, which is a kindergarten through 12th grade campus, have been told to practice good hygiene to keep the flu from spreading. He also said that the school has purchased about $200 worth of cleaning supplies and disinfectant, beyond what is regularly used. Hand sanitizer is also available in the classrooms, he said.

But some 'Anuenue parents and teachers aren't sure the precautions are enough.

One 'Anuenue teacher said yesterday that 75 percent of her students called in sick on Friday as the number of cases connected to the school grew. Yesterday, her class was back up to half full.

But she expected the number of students to fall again today because of the new cases.

"I just wish the administration or the DOE would close the school so the teachers could clean everything," said the teacher, who asked not to be identified because she is not authorized to speak to the media.

Some of her students continue to come to 'Anuenue even though they are ill — often because their parents have to work and can't find childcare.

Since the cases connected to 'Anuenue have grown, people are blaming the school itself, the teacher said. They tell her, "Your school started it," she said. "We've been stigmatized."

Naumu said that beyond the family linked to the school, the connections between those who have fallen ill are not apparent. He said they don't share classrooms and they have been in varying grades.

"We still have a hard time making the connections," he said.