The message spouted by city and state health officials discussing the local swine flu threat is clear: Prevention, prevention, prevention.

"At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I want to say that now it's time for all Chicagoans to think prevention, think preparedness,"  Dr. Terry Mason, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said yesterday. He recommended people cover their coughs and sneezes, wash their hands, and teach good habits to children.

The city has not recommended more drastic actions, such as widespread school closures, wearing masks and avoiding crowded trains and buses.

Still, experts say the city's response is appropriate, though it may need more targeted communications, especially towards college students who could be particularly vulnerable to swine flu. A 20-year-old Loyola University student was diagnosed as a probable case yesterday.

"I think their response has been right on," says Dr. Paula Kagan, an assistant professor of nursing at DePaul University. "The city is taking this very seriously and is making the appropriate decisions to have meetings at the right levels to assess the situation on a moment-by-moment basis. I don't know what else they could do."

The local response is being coordinated on a number of levels, with cooperation between city, state and federal bodies. At a press conference yesterday, Mayor Richard M. Daley said the city was activating its joint operations center, which coordinates responses from its police, fire and aviation departments.

Officials have pounded the messages of a vigilant, measured and cautious response to swine flu, which has produced at least nine probable cases in Chicago, Lake, Kane and DuPage counties. One 12-year-old girl was hospitalized, and public school officials closed Rogers Park's Kilmer Elementary School after that student fell ill.

Officials have placed signs around O'Hare and Midway airports, warning people of the risk. Similar measures are being taken with the CTA, according to Chicago's Emergency Management head, Raymond Orozco.

"I think that's pretty appropriate given the situation on the ground and the lack of cases, and I think we have a good surveillance system in place, and a good way of evaluating new cases," says Dr. Ronald Hershow, associate professor of infectious disease at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "I think we'll be responsive to the epidemiology as it unfolds."

Experts praise the city's education efforts. Mason and others hammered the point of washing your hands, coughing or sneezing into the crutch of your arm and avoiding public places if you are sick. Avoid panic, and take precautions, they say.

"I would take my cue from the City of Chicago," DePaul's Kagan says. "I think if they want people to stay out of public transportation or out of public buildings, they would let us know."

While the city's response to promote education and prevention is appropriate, says Brooke Fisher Liu, an assistant professor of communications at DePaul, a more targeted communications approach is necessary, especially towards college students.

"I can tell you from the microcosm of my students, they have not heard that from Mayor Daley," she says, of the mayor's messages of prevention.

A population notorious for relying less on traditional news sources could be at risk, she says. Liu suggested the city work closer with universities to spread awareness.

But the no-frills approach taken by the city has its advantages, Liu says.

"I think that it's good they're not putting too much information out there, because there is already a lot out there, and the more you send out, the more people panic."