H1N1 in the schools
By Donna Barker
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dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — At least two Bureau County school districts have confirmed cases of H1N1 flu among their students.
Marty Kiser, principal at Princeton Christian Academy, has confirmed a fourth-grade PCA student was recently hospitalized, and it was determined the boy had H1N1 flu. The Bureau Valley Administration sent out a letter Wednesday informing parents and guardians there has been a physician-confirmed case of H1N1 in that district as well.
On Thursday, Kiser said PCA has also had several other students absent from school with high fevers, and the assumption is that at least some of them could have H1N1. PCA had 12 students out with illness on Thursday, but two of those students had chicken pox.
Twelve absences is not an unusually large number, Kiser said. The absentee level needs to reach about a third of the 70-member student body, or 24 students, before the school would be closed for the day, she said.
To limit the spread of germs, Kiser said she’s telling parents to not bring kids back to school until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours. Also, staff are encouraging lots of hand washing and doing a lot of disinfecting of surfaces. PCA was involved Tuesday in an H1N1 vaccination clinic sponsored by the Bureau/Putnam County Health Department. There was a high participation among the students, Kiser said.
On Thursday, Mike Patterson, principal at Bureau Valley High School, said there has not been any significant change in attendance numbers so far this year at the high school. In his conversations with the elementary and junior high principals, he believes the same is true in those school buildings.
The Bureau Valley staff is encouraging good hygiene practices with its students to help prevent the spread of germs, Patterson said.
As far as any cases of H1N1 flu within the district, Patterson said he would not comment to the press on any specific health issues in the district. The district will keep parents informed of any health situations if they occur, he said.
On Thursday, Sue Cater, school nurse for the Princeton Elementary and Princeton High School districts, said there have been no confirmed H1N1 cases at PHS or PES so far this year.
However, there have been some flu cases that are likely to be H1N1, Cater said. Some students have been taken to the hospital emergency room or seen by their doctors and have been told their flu was likely to be H1N1, but there was no laboratory testing done to confirm the diagnosis. As far as she knows, no PES/PHS students have been hospitalized with flu.
In comparing seasonal flu with H1N1 flu, Cater said the seasonal flu is an upper respiratory-type flu. H1N1 can have many different symptoms, including respiratory distress, but they may also have some nausea and vomiting.
The best preventive measures to avoid the flu, of any type, is frequent and thorough hand washing, staying away from people who are sick as much as possible, and practicing general good health habits.
When a child is sick at school, Cater said she wants to err on the side of caution and send the child home. If a child is sick, parents are encouraged to check with their doctor by calling first, rather than taking the child to the doctor’s office. Of course, if the child is severely ill, parents should seek immediate medical attention, Cater said.
Cater worked Wednesday with the local health department in providing H1N1 flu vaccines to 312 PES children in five hours. The health department will complete its visit to PES buildings on Monday. The H1N1 vaccines will be given Nov. 4 to PHS students.
Read Tuesday’s Bureau County Republican for an update from area hospitals on the H1N1 flu.
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