Evanston has its first probable case of swine flu.

A patient at Saint Francis Hospital, 355 Ridge Ave., “has been identified by the Illinois Department of Public Health as a ‘probable’ case” of the H1N1 flu strain, popularly called “swine flu,” announced the hospital in a statement released Thursday.

But hospital spokeswoman Margo Schafer cautioned that there has been no final diagnosis – the hospital is waiting on confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, according to the statement. Considering the high amount of calls going to the CDC, confirmation will take longer than usual.

The hospital has received “many hundreds” of patients with flu-like symptoms in the past few days, according to the statement.

On Wednesday, Chicago announced its first suspected case of the influenza strain within the city limits. As of Thursday night, officials said more than 41 cases are “probable” and awaiting confirmation within the state, with 11 in suburban Cook County.

In response to the outbreak, the Illinois Department of Public Health received anti-viral medications from a federal stockpile as a caution against any future spread. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn also announced emergency preparations to mobilize state resources in the event of a pandemic.

On campus Thursday, rumors circulated that the disease had reached Northwestern, but there were no confirmed reports. University Spokesman Al Cubbage could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

Though there are no suspected cases at NU, Emergency Management sent a university-wide e-mail Thursday afternoon cautioning students to take common preventive measures to quash transmission of the virus and to avoid any non-essential trips to Mexico, one of the countries most hard-hit by the strain.

– Dan Fletcher

University Spokesman Al Cubbage could not be reached for comment Thursday night, attempts were not made during the day. The DAILY regrets the error.