Flu case reported at Broken Arrow school

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Broken Arrow is very near Tulsa

Flu case reported at Broken Arrow school

by: SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Thursday, August 20, 2009
8/20/2009 1:11:42 PM

A student at Broken Arrow's Wolf Creek Elementary has been diagnosed with Type A influenza that may be H1N1, or swine flu.

The H1N1 virus is a Type A influenza.

The student is home and won't return to school until symptom free.

The school remains open and attendance seemed normal Thursday, said Keith Isbell, the school district's chief communications officer.

The student's parents informed the school Wednesday of their child's diagnosis. The school district then sent out an alert to all parents reminding them of symptoms and precautions.

"We're on top of it as much as a school district can be," Isbell said."We're following all the (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines."

Isbell said the area where the student spends the majority of his time has had extra cleaning.

"We have the latest and greatest in cleaning items," he said. "We've been focused on this since last spring. We're encouraging hand washing and cover the mouth when coughing or sneezing."

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[Pathfinder]

Re: Flu case reported at Broken Arrow school

More possible swine flu cases in area schools

By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer

Published: 8/25/2009 12:19 PM

Several Broken Arrow and Muskogee students have been diagnosed with a type of influenza that may be the H1N1 virus, or swine flu.

The H1N1 virus is a Type A influenza. The five Broken Arrow students were diagnosed with Type A flu.

Two students at Muskogee Public Schools were also diagnosed with what may be swine flu.

?Have we had a case of swine flu? Technically no,? said Keith Isbell, Broken Arrow schools chief communications officer. ?We have not confirmed these cases are swine flu, but we want parents to know what's out there.?

The students from Wolf Creek Elementary and North Intermediate High School who were diagnosed last week have already returned to school after staying home until they were free of symptoms, Isbell said.

?They were both mild cases,? he said.

Three students from Park Lane Elementary, Centennial Middle School and Country Lane 4th & 5th Grade Center were diagnosed with Type A influenza Monday.

All three students are home and won?t return to school until they are free of symptoms. In two of the cases, the students were siblings and in one case the student became symptomatic on a scout trip, Isbell said.

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.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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 number one prevention tip is to wash hands with soap and water often and to avoid touching eyes and mouth as much as possible.

Isbell said the areas the students spent time in have had some extra cleaning attention and the district is using the ?latest and greatest? cleaning products in all the schools.

The Tulsa City-County Health Department doesn't anticipating getting the swine flu vaccine until mid-October. High-risk groups will get priority. Those groups include pregnant women, people who live with or care for children 6 months or younger, health-care and emergency medical personnel, people ages 6 months to 24 years and people ages 25 through 64, who are at a higher risk because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.


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