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Published Wednesday, September 09, 2009 in Local
Schools keep close eye on flu-like symptoms
By Jeff Bishop
The Times-Herald
The Coweta County Board of Education is trying to keep on top of the H1N1 or "swine flu" pandemic through intense monitoring of school absences and daily sharing of information, said Sally Millians, head nurse for the school system.
"Each school nurse compiles a flu surveillance report," Millians told the school board at its Tuesday night meeting at the Jackson Street office.
Reports of illness are tallied and shared, even down to small "clusters of students" within certain classrooms, said Superintendent Blake Bass.
The school system is trying to keep tabs on any student exhibiting or reporting "flu-like symptoms," Millians and Bass said. That information is shared with the District 4 Health Services epidemiologist.
"We compare every day's figures with the numbers from the previous day, and also with the numbers of flu-like symptoms we saw reported a year ago," Millians said.
Two letters have been sent home to parents explaining school system policies relating to H1N1, she said. The letters related the common "signs and symptoms," she said, as well as prevention methods. Those same flu prevention methods are also being reinforced in the classroom, she said.
"Each class is going over the various prevention techniques," said Millians. Good hand-washing is one of the easiest and most efficient techniques to employ, she said.
Some "social distancing" may also be put into play, she said.
At this point the Centers for Disease Control is still not recommending closing schools due to problems with H1N1, she said -- but that could change in cases of "overwhelming absenteeism" or if staffing problems become an issue, she explained.
"Prevention is really the key to keep this under control," said Millians.
Regular seasonal flu vaccine is already available and staff members are being urged to take it, she said. Swine flu vaccine is expected to become available in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, everyone should take care to "cover their coughs and sneezes," she said, and -- most importantly of all -- "if you are sick, stay home!"
Bass repeated the school board's policy that a doctor's note will not be required. A letter written by the parent will be sufficient for the absence to be marked as "excused."
"We're doing a lot of things to try to keep a handle on the outbreak of flu in our area," said Millians.
Schools keep close eye on flu-like symptoms
By Jeff Bishop
The Times-Herald
The Coweta County Board of Education is trying to keep on top of the H1N1 or "swine flu" pandemic through intense monitoring of school absences and daily sharing of information, said Sally Millians, head nurse for the school system.
"Each school nurse compiles a flu surveillance report," Millians told the school board at its Tuesday night meeting at the Jackson Street office.
Reports of illness are tallied and shared, even down to small "clusters of students" within certain classrooms, said Superintendent Blake Bass.
The school system is trying to keep tabs on any student exhibiting or reporting "flu-like symptoms," Millians and Bass said. That information is shared with the District 4 Health Services epidemiologist.
"We compare every day's figures with the numbers from the previous day, and also with the numbers of flu-like symptoms we saw reported a year ago," Millians said.
Two letters have been sent home to parents explaining school system policies relating to H1N1, she said. The letters related the common "signs and symptoms," she said, as well as prevention methods. Those same flu prevention methods are also being reinforced in the classroom, she said.
"Each class is going over the various prevention techniques," said Millians. Good hand-washing is one of the easiest and most efficient techniques to employ, she said.
Some "social distancing" may also be put into play, she said.
At this point the Centers for Disease Control is still not recommending closing schools due to problems with H1N1, she said -- but that could change in cases of "overwhelming absenteeism" or if staffing problems become an issue, she explained.
"Prevention is really the key to keep this under control," said Millians.
Regular seasonal flu vaccine is already available and staff members are being urged to take it, she said. Swine flu vaccine is expected to become available in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, everyone should take care to "cover their coughs and sneezes," she said, and -- most importantly of all -- "if you are sick, stay home!"
Bass repeated the school board's policy that a doctor's note will not be required. A letter written by the parent will be sufficient for the absence to be marked as "excused."
"We're doing a lot of things to try to keep a handle on the outbreak of flu in our area," said Millians.
