A bill requiring Chicago schoolchildren to wash their hands before lunch is more relevant than ever, says its chief sponsor.

"It does reinforce the wisdom. It’s the wisdom behind washing our hands," says state Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago), who believes requiring students to wash their hands will prevent the spread of germs and disease.

Flowers' comments come as Chicago's first probable case of swine flu was confirmed this morning.

A Rogers Park elementary school has been closed for at least two days as a student has fallen ill with a probable case of swine flu.

A 12-year-old student at Kilmer Elementary Schools, 6700 N. Greenview, was recovering at home, according to news reports.

Alderman Joe Moore (D-49) said in a newsletter today the school was experiencing slightly higher-than-average absentee rate.

The Chicago Department of Public Health advised Chicago Public Schools head Ron Huberman to close the school for at least 48 hours while investigators determine if the case is isolated or widespread.

Huberman said this morning that medical tests on the student have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to news reports. He said results could be complete within 24 to 36 hours.

However, a memo on the CPS website says that the case was confirmed as swine flu.

A news conference with Gov. Pat Quinn and Mayor Richard M. Daley is scheduled for 1:30.

Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago), whose bill was derided by some as unnecessary and hard to enforce, says the threat of swine flu highlights the importance of the bill, which awaits debate in the Senate. The bill was approved by the full House last month.

Flowers hopes the bill, which has been debated in Springfield in past assemblies, might be reworded to encompass schoolchildren across the state.

"I would hope that whoever picks up the bill in the Senate, if they want to make it a statewide bill, I would more than accommodate them," she says.

Critics have said it would be near impossible to make the 400,000 Chicago Public Schools students wash their hands before lunch. But Flowers says it is important to educate students about the necessity of clean hands.

"I never understood why anyone could make a mockery, that you and I and the people that we love are going to put (food touched by dirty hands) in our mouths," she says.

Swine flu is transmitted like other strains of the flu, through coughing or sneezing.

A principal at Orozco Community Academy forbade students from shaking hands Monday, as city officials grappled with a response to the virus, which has infected more than 60 people in the United States. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office was investigating two deaths that may have been due to swine flu Tuesday.

Even if the bill fails, Flowers says students should be required to carry some type of hand sanitizer.