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Two Gibson Co. schools close due to flu symptoms

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  • Two Gibson Co. schools close due to flu symptoms

    Source: http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20...WS01/909290305

    Two Gibson Co. schools close due to flu symptoms


    By STANLEY DUNLAP
    sdunlap@jacksonsun.com
    ? September 29, 2009


    Two Gibson County schools will be closed for the rest of this week after a large number of students were out sick with flu-like symptoms and respiratory problems Monday.

    On Monday, 204 students at Medina Middle School and 44 students at Yorkville Elementary were out sick, said Robert Galloway, superintendent of the Gibson County Special School District. Between the two schools, nine teachers also were out sick.

    Several of the students' illnesses have been classified as Type A flu cases, which is likely the H1N1 virus, Galloway said. Other students have flu-like symptoms and respiratory problems, he said.

    More than 25 percent of students were absent at each of the schools. Medina Middle has around 750 students enrolled in fourth through eighth grade, and Yorkville has 172 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

    The school buildings will be cleaned over the rest of the week before opening back up Monday, Galloway said.

    The state's commissioner of education will decide if and how the lost days will be made up, he said.

    The number of absences at the district's other schools remains low, at around 9 percent, Galloway said.

    "We just don't want it to continue to grow," he said Monday. "We've been tracking (absences) since Sept. 2. We do a call to (schools) every day.

    "We'll do a thorough cleaning at Medina and Yorkville these next four days," he said.

    In Madison County, cases of H1N1, also known as swine flu, have been relatively mild, Health Department officials have said. H1N1 is a growing strain of the flu that has affected people 25 and younger more than older people, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site.

    There has been one death in Madison County likely linked to the illness.

    A woman in her mid-20s died this month after she was admitted to the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and tested positive for influenza A, which has a high probability of being H1N1, according to a written statement from the Health Department. Health officials did not release the woman's name.

    2 of 2)

    In Tennessee, health care officials are focused on preventative measures to keep large numbers of people from becoming sick. Doctors do not test everyone with symptoms for the viruses, and state and local health officials have said they do not have up-to-date statistics on how many cases there have been.

    Jackson-Madison County Schools are not considering closing any of its buildings because most have normal attendance, officials said.

    Thelma Barker Elementary is the only school experiencing a higher level of absenteeism this week, with confirmed flu cases and other students with flu symptoms.

    Student services supervisor Portia Hegmon said 45 students were absent on Friday and 84 students were out sick on Monday.

    School officials track student absenteeism every day at 3 p.m., she said.

    To prevent the spread of disease, health officials are advising anyone who feels sick to stay home except when seeking medical care. They're also urging people to regularly wash their hands with hot water and soap for at least 20 seconds, to use alcohol-based hand sanitizer between hand washings, to cover their mouths with a tissue or their sleeve when they cough or sneeze and to get the flu vaccine when it's available.

    Visit jacksonsun.com and share your thoughts.

    - Stanley Dunlap, (731) 425-9668
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