SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- Hundreds of students were absent today, May 27, from Northridge Middle School in Clark County for the second day in a row in the wake of a case of swine flu.

One student from the school has already recovered from what has been identified as the H1N1 virus, and four other students have suspected cases.  Superintendent Rick Broderick has told parents that the school is safe -- reminding them that the flu virus can only survive for 8 hours on a surface and the school was empty for the entire Memorial Day weekend.

Despite all assurances, panic seems to reign among parents: nearly 300 students were absent Tuesday and 237 are absent today.  The mother of the teen with the confirmed case told WHIO-TV that the swine flu is essentially the same as the seasonal flu and there's no reason for such a panicked reaction.

According to the Clark County Combined Health District, swine flu isn't much different than seasonal flu.  The districts website said precautions against swine flue are the same: covering coughs and sneezes, hand washing, and common sense.