Schools Prepare for Swine Flu

As the school year begins, many parents have greater concerns than just buying books or back-to-school clothes. The Centers for Disease Control predict the H1N1 swine flu virus will return this fall. With the first day of school less than a week away, and the flu season nearing, Darien health officials say they have plans in place to keep the anticipated resurgence in check.

“Schools are opening on schedule,” said Darien Director of Health David Knauf. “We will be tracking absentee and attendance rates at all the schools. At this point we’re not advising anyone to keep their children home [if they are not sick]. I think it’s important that we are able to function as a society, going forward.”

School and health officials in Darien are monitoring the situation closely and say they will adjust their policies and recommendations accordingly.

“We have regular conference calls and communication on a daily basis to try to see what’s going on,” said Knauf. “If we detect any kind of issues or changes, then we will obviously adapt to that. We’re fortunate because we started the communication process in the spring and maintained it through the summer. I think we’re in really good shape.”

Signs of swine flu are very similar to regular flu. They include coughing, fever, chills, muscle aches, lack of appetite, sore throat and nausea.

The CDC advises children who are exhibiting any of these symptoms to stay home from school, and only return after being symptom-free for 24 hours.

“The emphasis is to keep schools open," said Superintendent of Schools Don Fiftal. "The other emphasis is if people have symptoms of flu they need to stay home.” 

In early May, CDC guidelines called for schools to close even in a suspected case of swine flu. These guidelines have since changed.

“Like a virus can shift, the information can shift and the way of looking at it has shifted over the last few months,” Fiftal said. “There’s a different recommendation coming from government officials [now]. The new recommendation to keep schools open is in the best interest of children.”

However the CDC does have guidelines in place for continuing the education of students in school districts where schools are closed due to swine flu. These recommendations ensure that children will not miss out on their lesson plans even if school is closed.

Fitfal said that antibacterial hand sanitizer and facial tissues have been ordered in bulk for Darien schools, which hasn’t been done in past years.

“The one good thing about going into this year is that there are people already aware of this flu because we had some experience with it in the spring,” said Knauf. “There is a sensitivity to it and it’s not going to catch us by surprise like it did in the spring. It is still seeming to be a relatively mild illness as far as illnesses go. There’s no reason to panic about getting it.”

The regular seasonal flu vaccine will not protect individuals from the H1N1 flu. And while a swine flu-specific vaccine is expected to be available in the fall, the specific release date is not yet known. Infants under 6 months of age, pregnant women and caregivers for children have been identified as target groups for the vaccine.

“Flu strains are different to the extent that the regular flu vaccine shots will not protect people from H1N1,” Knauf said. “The vaccine will give you a weakened form of the flu strain so your body can develop antibodies. It’s not a medication. It’s to create antibodies to block the actual virus so it doesn’t cause infection.”

A total of 74 individuals in Darien were diagnosed with swine flu in May through July. According to Knauf, there were no hospitalizations or fatalities.

“The nature of this illness still has been pretty mild,” Knauf said. “We all have our fingers crossed that it doesn’t get any more serious. For most people it’s not a long-term debilitating illness. That’s the way it’s been and hopefully that’s the way it will stay.”

"A message to parents about flu," is available on the Health Department Web site. 

“We need to be realistic,” said Fiftal. “We cannot 100 percent prevent transmission, but maybe every day we can cut back the transmission by 10 percent or 20 percent [through hand-washing and other practices].”

H1N1 VIRUS PREVENTION:

• Wash your hands when you cough or sneeze. Use antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer
• Throw tissues in the trash after they have been used
• Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, as this is one of the ways the virus is spread
• Disinfect household surfaces like counter-tops and items like toys if they come into contact with sick individuals
• Do not share water bottles, food or silverware
• Limit contact with people known to be sick