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Schools gear up for resurgent flu
U.S. colleges report hundreds of cases already
By ANGIE BASIOUNY, RACHEL KIPP and DAN SHORTRIDGE ? The News
Journal ? August 30, 2009
Hundred of suspected and confirmed cases of swine flu have been reported in the last two weeks as public schools and colleges started classes across the country.
If the same happens in Delaware as students return to school this week, state health officials say, they are ready.
The H1N1 virus has not changed markedly since late April, when a handful of confirmed cases at the University of Delaware sent hundreds rushing to the on-site health center for testing and prompted the governor to request a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When it comes to information about the virus, no news is good news, said Rita Landgraf, state secretary of health and human services.
"That's good, because what it means is the disease is not profiling any different than it has been," she said.
World health officials had warned last spring that a mutated form of swine flu would come back this season stronger and more deadly.
"The severity of the illness has not changed," Landgraf said, "The risk groups have not changed significantly; we know there are adequate supplies of the vaccine that can be produced; and the antivirals are the treatment modality."
Colleges across the country are seeing spikes in the number of students with suspected cases of swine flu as dorms fill up and classes begin for the fall semester. At least one California high school has confirmed cases, as well.
Health experts say many more could get sick as the virus winds its way through college and public school communities.
Already, Georgia Tech has had 150 suspected cases of the virus in the two weeks since students moved back to campus. At the University of Kansas, nearly 200 students reported flu symptoms in the last week or so; the University of Tennessee has about 100 suspected swine flu cases; and the University of Alabama had more than 50 suspected cases.
The World Health Organization declared swine flu a pandemic in June, reflecting the global spread of the virus. Swine flu is believed to be spread in the same way as seasonal flu, mainly through coughs and sneezes, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it may also be spread by touching infected objects and then touching your nose or mouth.
Nearly 28,000 U.S. cases have been reported to the CDC, accounting for roughly half the world's cases. The outbreak has been responsible for 522 deaths and 7,963 hospitalizations in the United States, according to the CDC. Delaware had 381 confirmed cases as of July 24 but no confirmed deaths, according to the CDC's last state tally.
Landgraf said Delaware's health statistics reflect national numbers that show people younger than 30 account for 80 percent of swine flu cases, with the average age being 12. That's why the state is concentrating efforts in the schools, where officials are gearing up to hold vaccination clinics in October when the first doses arrive.
It's not clear yet exactly how many doses Delaware will receive, but Landgraf said it will be enough to cover those most at-risk as defined by the CDC. They are children, adults younger than 65 who have chronic health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, and emergency and health care workers.
"We won't be able to vaccinate the entire population, nor would we want to," Landgraf said. "We want to ensure the vaccines are going to the target population. Our concentration right now is to get the message out."
The state is working with private, public and charter schools, universities and colleges, hospitals and physicians to share information. Vaccinations in schools will be given with parental consent. Physicians also will receive a supply of shots to administer to patients who need it. The remainder will be headed to drugstores.
There are other plans in place as well.
Learning from the experience in the spring with the University of Delaware -- where students are returning to campus this weekend -- the state has five ready-to-go mobile health centers that can be activated to provide assessment and treatment in the event of an outbreak. Landgraf won't divulge the locations for the centers, but said they were chosen according to geography and population density, and to fit with the state's regular emergency plan.
If any outbreaks become more serious, the state can deploy five or six "acute-care centers" capable of handling 400 patients. Another 250 beds are available at the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill.
Landgraf said the state has been stockpiling antiviral medicines, ventilators and respirators. A 10-day supply of antibiotics also has been distributed to nine acute-care hospitals in all three counties.
Precautions in schools
Despite all the preparations, officials said, education and prevention are still crucial, especially among the vulnerable student population.
Delaware schools are putting up "cover-your-cough" posters in hallways, stocking up on hand sanitizer in the gym and computer lab and sending letters home to parents.
In several school districts, officials say they're following the same methods put in place two years ago when fears spread about drug-resistant staph infections.
"For now, we think prevention and having the right information will keep things well in control," said Lake Forest Superintendent Dan Curry.
"At this point, it's business as usual," concurred Smyrna Superintendent Debbie Wicks.
School nurses and state officials have met and held conference calls to share information about best practices and procedures, including keeping students, teachers or staff members with symptoms out of school until they go for 24 hours without a fever -- and without using any fever-reducing drugs, officials said.
"Fever-free is the big thing," said Judy Mitchell, nutrition and health services supervisor in the Cape Henlopen School District.
Educational efforts in Laurel will focus on continuing good health practices at home, said Assistant Superintendent Linda Schenck. "Not everything is brought into the home through the school," she said.
In the Indian River School District, which starts classes after Labor Day, officials are working on contingency plans for staffing in the event of a mass outbreak.
"Hopefully it won't come to that point, but if it does, we will be prepared," said Indian River spokesman David Maull.
They also are looking at ways to get lessons to students forced to stay home from school for extended periods of time.
Cape Henlopen has a visiting teacher program that it has used for several years when students have to be out of school, Mitchell said.
If an outbreak reaches pandemic proportions, causing massive staff shortages or plummeting attendance, officials will turn to their contingency plans, Curry said.
Staff shortages could require that schools close down, he acknowledged.
"We do have that deep down in our emergency plan, and we will certainly dust that off as needed," Curry said. "We're not anticipating things will get to that extent."
But generally, districts aren't reporting a high level of concern among parents as schools open their doors.
"I think they're taking it in stride," Schenck said.
Curry agreed. "They're more concerned about their child's schedule and what time does the bus pick them up," he said.
Campaign at UD
At the University of Delaware, bright blue and gold posters listing the symptoms of swine flu and ways to prevent the spread of the virus will start appearing on campus this week, just one part of school officials' efforts to curb a widespread outbreak.
Hand sanitizer stations have been added around campus. There are now 37, including at all dining facilities and in large gathering areas such as the Bob Carpenter Center and both student centers.
A new Web page devoted to swine flu prevention tips and information will launch Monday, and question-and-answer sessions for students are being scheduled for later in the fall semester. A committee of administrators also worked with the campus community during the summer to determine how an outbreak would affect each department and possible responses according to the number of cases and the severity of the infections.
As students moved into off-campus apartments Friday afternoon, most said their fear of the virus waned as more information became available during the spring and summer.
Junior Kaitlyn Urato left early for a planned weekend at home in Goshen, N.Y., when UD had a rash of cases in the spring. If she had stayed in Newark, the 20-year-old said, she would have skipped her classes.
"You don't know who was sitting in the desk before you," Urato said. She said school officials sent multiple e-mails, text messages and other updates to students about the swine flu outbreak, but didn't provide much information about the disease itself.
"I think we were curious about what was going on and that made people freak out," Urato said. "Also, the world didn't know much about swine flu then."
As she helped son Eythan unload his possessions from the family car Friday, Etty Savitzky said the two phone messages she received from the university last spring updating her on the swine flu situation helped ease her fears. But she and Eythan talked about what the 19-year-old could do to keep healthy before leaving their home in New York.
"I'm a mom, of course I have concerns, but we already addressed it," Etty Savitzky said. "I really count on the university to be responsible and get the word out if the swine flu happens."
Eythan, a sophomore, said a proliferation of swine flu cases had a possible upside.
"The worst-case scenario is there's no school, classes would be canceled and I'm happy about that," he said. "It's like a win-not-so-bad situation."
U.S. colleges report hundreds of cases already
By ANGIE BASIOUNY, RACHEL KIPP and DAN SHORTRIDGE ? The News
Journal ? August 30, 2009
Hundred of suspected and confirmed cases of swine flu have been reported in the last two weeks as public schools and colleges started classes across the country.
If the same happens in Delaware as students return to school this week, state health officials say, they are ready.
The H1N1 virus has not changed markedly since late April, when a handful of confirmed cases at the University of Delaware sent hundreds rushing to the on-site health center for testing and prompted the governor to request a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When it comes to information about the virus, no news is good news, said Rita Landgraf, state secretary of health and human services.
"That's good, because what it means is the disease is not profiling any different than it has been," she said.
World health officials had warned last spring that a mutated form of swine flu would come back this season stronger and more deadly.
"The severity of the illness has not changed," Landgraf said, "The risk groups have not changed significantly; we know there are adequate supplies of the vaccine that can be produced; and the antivirals are the treatment modality."
Colleges across the country are seeing spikes in the number of students with suspected cases of swine flu as dorms fill up and classes begin for the fall semester. At least one California high school has confirmed cases, as well.
Health experts say many more could get sick as the virus winds its way through college and public school communities.
Already, Georgia Tech has had 150 suspected cases of the virus in the two weeks since students moved back to campus. At the University of Kansas, nearly 200 students reported flu symptoms in the last week or so; the University of Tennessee has about 100 suspected swine flu cases; and the University of Alabama had more than 50 suspected cases.
The World Health Organization declared swine flu a pandemic in June, reflecting the global spread of the virus. Swine flu is believed to be spread in the same way as seasonal flu, mainly through coughs and sneezes, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it may also be spread by touching infected objects and then touching your nose or mouth.
Nearly 28,000 U.S. cases have been reported to the CDC, accounting for roughly half the world's cases. The outbreak has been responsible for 522 deaths and 7,963 hospitalizations in the United States, according to the CDC. Delaware had 381 confirmed cases as of July 24 but no confirmed deaths, according to the CDC's last state tally.
Landgraf said Delaware's health statistics reflect national numbers that show people younger than 30 account for 80 percent of swine flu cases, with the average age being 12. That's why the state is concentrating efforts in the schools, where officials are gearing up to hold vaccination clinics in October when the first doses arrive.
It's not clear yet exactly how many doses Delaware will receive, but Landgraf said it will be enough to cover those most at-risk as defined by the CDC. They are children, adults younger than 65 who have chronic health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, and emergency and health care workers.
"We won't be able to vaccinate the entire population, nor would we want to," Landgraf said. "We want to ensure the vaccines are going to the target population. Our concentration right now is to get the message out."
The state is working with private, public and charter schools, universities and colleges, hospitals and physicians to share information. Vaccinations in schools will be given with parental consent. Physicians also will receive a supply of shots to administer to patients who need it. The remainder will be headed to drugstores.
There are other plans in place as well.
Learning from the experience in the spring with the University of Delaware -- where students are returning to campus this weekend -- the state has five ready-to-go mobile health centers that can be activated to provide assessment and treatment in the event of an outbreak. Landgraf won't divulge the locations for the centers, but said they were chosen according to geography and population density, and to fit with the state's regular emergency plan.
If any outbreaks become more serious, the state can deploy five or six "acute-care centers" capable of handling 400 patients. Another 250 beds are available at the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill.
Landgraf said the state has been stockpiling antiviral medicines, ventilators and respirators. A 10-day supply of antibiotics also has been distributed to nine acute-care hospitals in all three counties.
Precautions in schools
Despite all the preparations, officials said, education and prevention are still crucial, especially among the vulnerable student population.
Delaware schools are putting up "cover-your-cough" posters in hallways, stocking up on hand sanitizer in the gym and computer lab and sending letters home to parents.
In several school districts, officials say they're following the same methods put in place two years ago when fears spread about drug-resistant staph infections.
"For now, we think prevention and having the right information will keep things well in control," said Lake Forest Superintendent Dan Curry.
"At this point, it's business as usual," concurred Smyrna Superintendent Debbie Wicks.
School nurses and state officials have met and held conference calls to share information about best practices and procedures, including keeping students, teachers or staff members with symptoms out of school until they go for 24 hours without a fever -- and without using any fever-reducing drugs, officials said.
"Fever-free is the big thing," said Judy Mitchell, nutrition and health services supervisor in the Cape Henlopen School District.
Educational efforts in Laurel will focus on continuing good health practices at home, said Assistant Superintendent Linda Schenck. "Not everything is brought into the home through the school," she said.
In the Indian River School District, which starts classes after Labor Day, officials are working on contingency plans for staffing in the event of a mass outbreak.
"Hopefully it won't come to that point, but if it does, we will be prepared," said Indian River spokesman David Maull.
They also are looking at ways to get lessons to students forced to stay home from school for extended periods of time.
Cape Henlopen has a visiting teacher program that it has used for several years when students have to be out of school, Mitchell said.
If an outbreak reaches pandemic proportions, causing massive staff shortages or plummeting attendance, officials will turn to their contingency plans, Curry said.
Staff shortages could require that schools close down, he acknowledged.
"We do have that deep down in our emergency plan, and we will certainly dust that off as needed," Curry said. "We're not anticipating things will get to that extent."
But generally, districts aren't reporting a high level of concern among parents as schools open their doors.
"I think they're taking it in stride," Schenck said.
Curry agreed. "They're more concerned about their child's schedule and what time does the bus pick them up," he said.
Campaign at UD
At the University of Delaware, bright blue and gold posters listing the symptoms of swine flu and ways to prevent the spread of the virus will start appearing on campus this week, just one part of school officials' efforts to curb a widespread outbreak.
Hand sanitizer stations have been added around campus. There are now 37, including at all dining facilities and in large gathering areas such as the Bob Carpenter Center and both student centers.
A new Web page devoted to swine flu prevention tips and information will launch Monday, and question-and-answer sessions for students are being scheduled for later in the fall semester. A committee of administrators also worked with the campus community during the summer to determine how an outbreak would affect each department and possible responses according to the number of cases and the severity of the infections.
As students moved into off-campus apartments Friday afternoon, most said their fear of the virus waned as more information became available during the spring and summer.
Junior Kaitlyn Urato left early for a planned weekend at home in Goshen, N.Y., when UD had a rash of cases in the spring. If she had stayed in Newark, the 20-year-old said, she would have skipped her classes.
"You don't know who was sitting in the desk before you," Urato said. She said school officials sent multiple e-mails, text messages and other updates to students about the swine flu outbreak, but didn't provide much information about the disease itself.
"I think we were curious about what was going on and that made people freak out," Urato said. "Also, the world didn't know much about swine flu then."
As she helped son Eythan unload his possessions from the family car Friday, Etty Savitzky said the two phone messages she received from the university last spring updating her on the swine flu situation helped ease her fears. But she and Eythan talked about what the 19-year-old could do to keep healthy before leaving their home in New York.
"I'm a mom, of course I have concerns, but we already addressed it," Etty Savitzky said. "I really count on the university to be responsible and get the word out if the swine flu happens."
Eythan, a sophomore, said a proliferation of swine flu cases had a possible upside.
"The worst-case scenario is there's no school, classes would be canceled and I'm happy about that," he said. "It's like a win-not-so-bad situation."
