Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Swine flu case confirmed at Owasso school

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Swine flu case confirmed at Owasso school

    Swine flu case confirmed at Owasso school

    By RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer

    Published: 8/31/2009 1:07 PM
    Last Modified: 8/31/2009 1:30 PM

    An Owasso sixth-grader has a confirmed case of the H1N1 virus, known as the swine flu, an administrator for the school district said Monday.

    Enrolled at the Sixth Grade Center, the student is at home and will remain there for the week, said David Hall, an assistant superintendent.

    ?We are monitoring students that were around this person over the weekend at a birthday party and will be proactive with our nursing staff should others come down with any symptoms,? Hall said in an e-mail to the Tulsa World.

    ?The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommends isolation or limiting the ill child?s contact with others. If we see symptoms displayed with other students, we will get the ill child isolated until their parent can come get them from school.?

    CDC information about H1N1 flu conditions and protocols for dealing with it were sent home with students Friday, Hall said. Information about H1N1 can also be found at tulsaworld.com/owassoschools.

    In the meantime, sanitizers will be used for hand washing in Owasso?s classrooms. Personnel also will continue to daily clean solid surfaces used by multiple children, Hall said.

    Last week, a spokesman for Broken Arrow Public Schools said five students in that district had Type A influenza, which may be swine flu.

    One student in Tulsa Public Schools and two students in Muskogee Public Schools also have been diagnosed with Type A influenza. Type A has been identified on every campus of Jenks Public Schools, said Dana Ezell, director of personnel.

    Symptoms for H1N1 and seasonal flu include body aches, chills, coughing, fatigue, fever, headache, runny or stuffy nose and sore throat. Some cases also include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

    CDC guidelines include having people diagnosed with any type of flu stay home until they are symptom-free and have no fever for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications.

    The top prevention tip is to wash hands with soap and water often and to avoid touching the eyes and mouth as much as possible.


    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

  • #2
    Re: Swine flu case confirmed at Owasso school

    Swine flu found in students

    by: RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer
    Tuesday, September 01, 2009
    9/1/2009 3:51:40 AM

    An Owasso sixth-grader has a confirmed case of the H1N1 virus, known as the swine flu, an administrator for the school district said Monday.

    Also, one of five Broken Arrow Public Schools students who was reported to have Type A influenza symptoms was confirmed to have swine flu, school district's spokesman Keith Isbell said. That student has returned to school symptom-free, he said.

    Swine flu is a Type A influenza virus.

    The Owasso student, who attends the Sixth Grade Center, is at home and will remain there for the week, Assistant Superintendent David Hall said.

    "We are monitoring students that were around this person over the weekend at a birthday party and will be proactive with our nursing staff should others come down with any symptoms," Hall said in an e-mail to the Tulsa World.

    The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "recommends isolation or limiting the ill child's contact with others," he said. "If we see symptoms displayed with other students, we will get the ill child isolated until their parent can come get them from school."

    CDC information about H1N1 flu conditions and protocols for dealing with it were given to students to take home Friday, Hall said. Information about the virus is also available online at tulsaworld.com/owassoschools .

    In the meantime, sanitizers will be used for hand-washing in Owasso classrooms. Personnel also will continue to clean daily all solid surfaces used by multiple children, Hall said.

    Isbell said one factor that hinders schools' ability to inform parents about possible swine-flu cases is that doctors often will fail to test patients who aren't considered at high risk, leaving doubt about whether the symptoms are actually those of the swine flu.

    Type A influenza symptoms have been reported on every campus in Jenks Public Schools, but no case has been confirmed as H1N1, said Dana Ezell, the district's personnel director.

    "We are seeing high fevers, coughs, headaches ? those type of symptoms," Ezell said. "It's earlier than normal."

    Union Public Schools has reported one case of Type A influenza.

    Bixby Public Schools have no confirmed swine-flu cases, although officials say several students were out last week with flu-like symptoms.

    "Our absentee rate Monday was about normal, though, so we haven't seen any escalation," Superintendent Kyle Wood said.

    Tulsa Public Schools has three confirmed Type A flu cases and one suspected influenza, district spokeswoman Tami Marler said. None is confirmed to have the H1N1 virus, she said.

    Type A influenza has been diagnosed in two students in Muskogee Public Schools.

    In Skiatook Public Schools, 30 students and three staff members were reported to have flu-like symptoms Monday, Superintendent Gary Johnson said.

    Symptoms for swine and seasonal flu include aches, chills, coughing, fatigue, fever, headache, runny or stuffy nose and sore throat. Some cases include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

    CDC guidelines say people who have a diagnosis of any type of flu should stay home until they are symptom-free and have no fever for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications.

    The best prevention tip is to wash hands with soap and water often and to avoid touching the eyes and mouth.

    "There's a chance peace will come in your life - please buy one" - Melanie Safka
    "The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be" - Socrates

    Comment

    Working...
    X