Sun-Times News Group

A 14-year-old Naperville North High School student who died suddenly Thursday had swine flu.

Naperville North High School officials confirmed today that test results indicated that freshman Michelle Fahle did have the H1N1 flu virus, more commonly known as swine flu.

“However they are not calling it the cause of death,” Principal Kevin Pobst said.

Further testing is under way to determine if it was a contributing factor in her death.

“We don’t have a definitive cause,” Pobst said.

Pobst said he is waiting to speak with health officials about what the detection of H1N1 means for the school.

“We’re obviously very very saddened by Michelle’s death, Pobst said.

A Facebook page has been created in the student’s honor, and hundreds of people have left messages on it already.

Naperville paramedics were called to the girl’s home Thursday morning. She was taken to Edward Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

An autopsy was performed by the DuPage County coroner’s office on Thursday.

The death, if officially counted as a swine flu case, would push the state’s fatalities from the virus to 20. Three other Illinois swine flu deaths were in children younger than 19.

The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting 23 new swine flu hospitalizations in its weekly update. That brings the number of people hospitalized with swine flu in Illinois to 471 since April.