DANVILLE – The Danville Correctional Center remains on lockdown following an influenza outbreak that included a few cases of the H1N1 virus.

Visitors won't be allowed into the facility, and inmates' movements will remain limited until the lockdown is lifted, Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman Sharyn Elman said.

"The reason for the lockdown is to make sure that the virus doesn't spread," Elhman said. "We'll lift it when there are no more active cases."

The Level 3 high/medium-security prison currently has about 1,836 inmates, according to the department's website. Elhman said the prison was locked down after a number of inmates came down with flu-like symptoms in February.

By late last week, the number of inmates displaying those symptoms reached between 150 and 175, said Shirley Hicks, the Vermilion County Health Department's administrator.

"That's different than confirmed cases," Hicks said, adding that the prison had a sampling of cases tested. She added H1N1, the virus of last year's flu pandemic, was found in some of the samples.

Elman said the confirmed H1N1 cases were fewer than four. Elman said prison officials quickly put into place its pandemic influenza preparedness and response plan that outlines protocols regarding sanitation, medication, restriction of inmate movement, among other things. "Those protocols were started well before the facility went on lockdown," she said.

Hicks said prison officials did an "excellent" job of containment. "When you're in a facility that can be locked down, it really changes the progression of illnesses," said Hicks, who was notified of the outbreak a couple of weeks ago.

Ehman said it's too early to tell when the lockdown will be lifted.

However, "Danville is on the mend," she said. "Inmates are recovering very well. So we hope to be lifting the lockdown soon."