Commonground
Senior Moderator
Ithaca (WSYR-TV) - The Ithaca school district is dealing with a big flu outbreak.
Many students in one class at Cayuga Heights Elementary School have come down with flu-like symptoms.
Fewer students were dropped off Monday morning as more stayed home from school sick.
?It's a big spike, as compared to every other grade level,? says Ithaca City School District Superintendent Judy Pastel.
Seventeen fifth graders came down with flu-like symptoms. Nearly all of them were concentrated in one section.
?I would think, with that many children out in 5th grade, there is some sort of a connection with regard to the H1N1 virus. But as far as the school as a whole, we're not seeing that many absences,? Pastel says.
The school is tracking the illness by talking to parents. One way they are doing that us by asking parents what kind of symptoms the child has when he or she isn't coming to school.
?We've had all these students come back with their families from vacations and they have been all around the state and country so they are bringing back these different bugs that people are prone to get,? says Pastel.
Parent Hilary Fraser is making sure the after-school programs also have what they need to keep kids healthy.
?I thought our after-school program needed to get on board, so I was preparing a memo at work to hand out and went to buy some rubber gloves and hand sanitizer,? says Fraser.
Hand sanitizer is something the school also has a lot of -- a little step that just might prevent passing the bug onto others.
The school is sending out a letter to parents of Cayuga Heights Elementary informing them of the spike, and telling them to keep children home if they have these flu-like symptoms.
Copyright 2009 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/sto...utbreak-at-Ithaca/y3IYiAuouEWMoX-2FOHdYA.cspx
Many students in one class at Cayuga Heights Elementary School have come down with flu-like symptoms.
Fewer students were dropped off Monday morning as more stayed home from school sick.
?It's a big spike, as compared to every other grade level,? says Ithaca City School District Superintendent Judy Pastel.
Seventeen fifth graders came down with flu-like symptoms. Nearly all of them were concentrated in one section.
?I would think, with that many children out in 5th grade, there is some sort of a connection with regard to the H1N1 virus. But as far as the school as a whole, we're not seeing that many absences,? Pastel says.
The school is tracking the illness by talking to parents. One way they are doing that us by asking parents what kind of symptoms the child has when he or she isn't coming to school.
?We've had all these students come back with their families from vacations and they have been all around the state and country so they are bringing back these different bugs that people are prone to get,? says Pastel.
Parent Hilary Fraser is making sure the after-school programs also have what they need to keep kids healthy.
?I thought our after-school program needed to get on board, so I was preparing a memo at work to hand out and went to buy some rubber gloves and hand sanitizer,? says Fraser.
Hand sanitizer is something the school also has a lot of -- a little step that just might prevent passing the bug onto others.
The school is sending out a letter to parents of Cayuga Heights Elementary informing them of the spike, and telling them to keep children home if they have these flu-like symptoms.
Copyright 2009 Newport Television LLC All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/sto...utbreak-at-Ithaca/y3IYiAuouEWMoX-2FOHdYA.cspx