Swine Flu frenzy fading

San Marcos May 07, 2009 11:32 am

— While San Marcos CISD and neighboring Hays County school districts have remained free of the swine flu, other area districts have not.
School closures were recommended as near as Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City, Comal ISD and New Braunfels ISD. Those closures have now been lifted.
According to the most recent notices from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “School closure is not advised for a suspected or confirmed case of novel influenza A (H1N1) and, in general, is not advised unless there is a magnitude of faculty or student absenteeism that interferes with the school's ability to function. Schools that were closed based on previous interim CDC guidance related to this outbreak may reopen.”
As of Wednesday morning, the Texas Department of Health Services said 13 cases had been confirmed in Guadalupe County and four in Comal.
Other Texas cases included: Bexar County, four; Brazoria County, one; Cameron County, two; Collin County, one; Dallas County, eight; Denton County, one; El Paso County, seven; Fort Bend County, four; Harris County, eight; Hidalgo County, one; Johnson County, four; Matagorda County, one; Montgomery County, one; Nueces County, one; Starr County, two; Tarrant County, 22; and Travis County, two.
San Marcos CISD Superintendent Dr. Patty Shafer says that the CDC has also relaxed the field trip restrictions.
“Although San Marcos has continued group gatherings within our unaffected community, we had taken the precautionary steps to postpone field trips that would take students and staff out of our community and into other areas where schools were closed. Fortunately, these restrictions are no longer necessary,” she said.
That does not mean, however, that wellness precautions have ceased.
District custodial staffs are still taking extra steps to routinely clean and disinfect all community areas such as water fountains, door knobs, computer keyboards, hand rails, school buses, etc., and teachers are reminding students to wash their hands often and to cover coughs and sneezes, SMCISD officials said.
Parents are being asked to continue with health care precautions at home, too.
The CDC recommends:
• Students, faculty or staff with influenza-like illness (fever with a cough or sore throat) should stay home and not attend school or go into the community except to seek medical care for at least seven days even if symptoms resolve sooner.
• Students, faculty and staff who are still sick seven days after they become ill should continue to stay home from school until at least 24 hours after symptoms have resolved.
• Students, faculty and staff who appear to have an influenza-like illness at arrival or become ill during the school day should be isolated promptly in a room separate from other students and sent home.
• Parents and guardians should monitor their school-aged children, and faculty and staff should self-monitor every morning for symptoms of influenza-like illness.
• Ill students should not attend alternative child care or congregate in settings other than school.
• School administrators should communicate regularly with local public health officials to obtain guidance about reporting of influenza-like illnesses in the school.
• Schools can help serve as a focus for educational activities aimed at promoting ways to reduce the spread of influenza, including hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
• Students, faculty and staff should stringently follow sanitary measures to reduce the spread of influenza, including covering their nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or coughing or sneezing into their sleeve if a tissue isn't available), frequently washing hands with soap and water, or using hand sanitizer if hand washing with soap and water is not possible.
Initial cases of novel influenza A (H1N1) in the United States included school-age children and were associated with travel to Mexico and school-based outbreaks. Early information reported by Mexico indicated that many previously healthy young adults had been hospitalized with rapidly progressive pneumonia. Because of this initial information, the CDC had recommended school closures to lessen the risk of infection in schools and districts with confirmed cases. But more recent information indicates the severity of the influenza has been comparable in the U.S. to seasonal influenza.
The CDC and local and state health officials will continue to closely monitor the severity and spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1), district officials said.
The CDC recommends the primary means to reduce the spread of influenza in schools to focus on: (1) early identification of ill students and staff, (2) staying home when ill, and (3) implementing good cough and hand hygiene procedures. Decisions about school closure “should be at the discretion of local authorities based on local considerations, including public concern, and the impact of school absenteeism and staffing shortages.”
San Marcos CISD established a special link on the District Web site at www.smcisd.net where periodic updates are being posted.
Further guidance can be found in:
Questions and Answers About Novel H1N1 Flu at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/swineflu_you.htm
What to Do If You Get Flu-Like Symptoms at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm
Interim Guidance for H1N1 Flu: Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm