Since news of the first possible case of swine flu in the western suburbs trickled out of Elmhurst on Wednesday April 29 , a flurry of new cases and school closings have been reported on a daily basis.

From Tinley Park to Wheaton to Aurora, the Chicago collar counties — suburban Cook, DuPage and Kane — have logged 36 cases of confirmed H1N1 swine flu, and 15 more are considered probable. Those cases are still waiting official confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Tuesday morning.

Many schools across the area have been shut down at health departments’ recommendations, either to curb further spread of the virus in the case of an infected student or for a thorough scrub down.

Kane County had the highest number of school closings including Rotolo Middle School in Batavia, Marmion Academy in Aurora, Batavia High School, Haines Middle School in St. Charles and Larkin High School in Elgin. In suburban Cook, Ridge Circle Elementary School in Streamwood, Algonquin Middle School and Ridge Lawn Middle School also temporarily closed their doors. Most schools are expected to reopen Friday.

Local public health departments have been vigilant about monitoring the situation, putting out daily news releases detailing probable new cases and school closings.

However, even as initial public alarm over the new strain of flu subsides, health officials say they fully expect the number to grow as more probable cases are confirmed.

New procedural guidance issued by the CDC now allows the Illinois Department of Public Health to conduct the H1N1 tests. In Kane County the health department will no longer report “probable” cases, but instead will report test results as either negative or confirmed for the virus.

As cases continue coming in, local health officials say they are uncertain how long swine flu will linger in the public spotlight.

“I don’t think anyone knows where we’re going from here,” said Dave Hass, spokesman for the DuPage Department of Health. He said planning for a re-emergence of the virus in the fall has already started.

“I think public health is hopeful there will be vaccine in the fall, but I don’t know for sure that’s the case,” Hass said.