A case of H1N1 flu has been confirmed in the James Baugher Elementary School, and a second case has been found at Selinsgrove Elementary School.
Official confirmation of the swine flu has not exactly sent the schools into full crisis mode. Dr. Fred Johnson, superintendent at Selinsgrove, said all cases of flu (whether it’s H1N1 or seasonal flu) are being treated in the same manner.
“The state Department of Health has recommended treating everyone the same,” Johnson said. “So this is nothing special.”
Even if greater numbers of students begin to become ill, school officials will be in no rush to close the doors.
Johnson said the department has recommended against closing school, even if a large number of students are absent.
“It might be safer not to (close),” he commented, noting that older students in particular might not stay at home, but rather would congregate with their peers.
The daily report he received from Evangelical Community Hospital Friday indicated there was a small downturn in the number of reported flu cases.
“We’ll just have to watch and be careful,” Johnson concluded. “It’s not going to go away.”
Faculty and staff in the Milton Area School District have been informed of the suspected case and notices were sent home with students, according to Dr. William Clark, Milton’s superintendent.
“We’ve sent flyers home several times with recommendations from the state Department of Health,” said Clark. Those recommendations include frequent hand-washing, sneezing and coughing into one’s sleeve, and using and disposing of tissues immediately after use.
He and the school nurse have also provided information on blogs on the district’s Web site. In fact, he said, a link directly to H1N1 information is available on the district’s Web site, www.miltonsd.org.
“We also stepped up cleaning and sanitizing in areas that see a lot of use,” he said.
Hand sanitizer stations have been set up in the cafeterias and gyms at the district’s schools. Additional hand sanitizers will be made available in classrooms as soon as they are delivered.
However, Clark noted, some materials in great demand have been back-ordered.
The case at Baugher is the first confirmed case in the district, Clark said.
“We’re monitoring H1N1, but it’s not an exact science,” he said.
The district is reporting absences to a task force at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg, which is gathering information from numerous schools in the region.
“We’re working with Evan to provide H1N1 vaccinations at school for the ages most at risk when it becomes available,” Clark said. “We’d like to provide it here.”
He said parental permission slips will be sent home before any students receive the vaccine.
Officials at Evangelical Community Hospital were not available for comment on Friday.
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