Flu-like outbreaks reported at B.C. schools
By Amy O'Brian, Vancouver SunJanuary 29, 2009Be the first to post a comment
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> function resizeImage() { var imgBox = document.getElementById('imageBox'); var photo = document.getElementById('storyphoto'); if (imgBox != null & photo != null) { if(photo.width >= 460) { imgBox.className = 'imagesize460'; } else { if(photo.width >= 300) { imgBox.className = 'imagesize310'; } else { imgBox.className = 'imageboxpadding'; } imgBox.style.width = photo.width + 'px'; } } } function getStoryFontSize() { var storyfontsize = getCookie('storyfontsize'); var storyfontimage = getCookie('storyfontimage'); // use cookied value, if present if (storyfontsize != null) { setClass('story_content',storyfontsize); if (storyfontimage != null) { setClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage); } } else // default it to para14 if no cookie { setClass('story_content','para14'); setClass('fontsizecontainer','size02'); } } function setStoryFontSize(storyfontsize,storyfontimage) { setClass('story_content',storyfontsize); setClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage); setCookie('storyfontsize', storyfontsize, '365', '/', '', ''); setCookie('storyfontimage', storyfontimage, '365', '/', '', ''); } function setCookie( name, value, expires, path, domain, secure ) { // set time var today = new Date(); today.setTime( today.getTime() ); if ( expires ) { expires = expires * 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24; //days } var expires_date = new Date( today.getTime() + (expires) ); document.cookie = name + "=" + escape( value ) + ( ( expires ) ? ";expires=" + expires_date.toGMTString() : "" ) + ( ( path ) ? ";path=" + path : "" ) + ( ( domain ) ? ";domain=" + domain : "" ) + ( ( secure ) ? ";secure" : "" ); } function getCookie( check_name ) { // split this cookie up into name/value pairs var a_all_cookies = document.cookie.split( ';' ); var a_temp_cookie = ''; var cookie_name = ''; var cookie_value = ''; var b_cookie_found = false; // set boolean t/f default f for ( i = 0; i < a_all_cookies.length; i++ ) { // split apart each name=value pair a_temp_cookie = a_all_cookies.split( '=' ); // and trim left/right whitespace while we're at it cookie_name = a_temp_cookie[0].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, ''); // if the extracted name matches passed check_name if ( cookie_name == check_name ) { b_cookie_found = true; // we need to handle case where cookie has no value but exists (no = sign, that is): if ( a_temp_cookie.length > 1 ) { cookie_value = unescape( a_temp_cookie[1].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, '') ); } // note that in cases where cookie is initialized but no value, null is returned return cookie_value; break; } a_temp_cookie = null; cookie_name = ''; } if ( !b_cookie_found ) { return null; } } </SCRIPT>Several outbreaks of flu-like illness have been reported this week by schools around the province.
After an unusually slow start to this year?s flu season, up to 10 B.C. schools had absentee numbers this week that were high enough to be reported to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
On the North Shore, Carson Graham and Handsworth secondary schools were reporting high numbers of absent students this week, as was Summit middle school in Coquitlam.
There is no way to confirm, though, that the absent students are suffering from influenza, said Dr. Danuta Skowronski, an epidemiologist with the centre.
?There?s nothing unusual or dramatic about the numbers,? Skowronski said Thursday.
But she was not willing to wager that the entire season will be mild.
?As soon as you say something definitive about influenza, it proves you wrong,? she said.
Schools are asked to report to the Centre for Disease Control when the number of students absent reaches 10 per cent or more. At Summit middle school, more than 100 ? out of 714 ? students have missed classes three days this week, said Cheryl Quinton, communications manager at the Coquitlam school district.
?I?m understanding that it?s a couple of different illnesses that are circulating right now,? said Quinton.
?Kids are away for colds and there?s also a bit of a gastro-intestinal bug as well. These are typical winter bugs.?
At Carson Graham, about 11 per cent of the student body was absent for at least one day this week. And at Handsworth, the absentee rate was up to 16 per cent earlier this week, said Anna Marie D?Angelo of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
The BCCDC does not publicly identify schools that report high absentee rates.
aobrian@vancouversun.com
http://www.vancouversun.com/Health/like+outbreaks+reported+schools/1232517/story.html
By Amy O'Brian, Vancouver SunJanuary 29, 2009Be the first to post a comment
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> function resizeImage() { var imgBox = document.getElementById('imageBox'); var photo = document.getElementById('storyphoto'); if (imgBox != null & photo != null) { if(photo.width >= 460) { imgBox.className = 'imagesize460'; } else { if(photo.width >= 300) { imgBox.className = 'imagesize310'; } else { imgBox.className = 'imageboxpadding'; } imgBox.style.width = photo.width + 'px'; } } } function getStoryFontSize() { var storyfontsize = getCookie('storyfontsize'); var storyfontimage = getCookie('storyfontimage'); // use cookied value, if present if (storyfontsize != null) { setClass('story_content',storyfontsize); if (storyfontimage != null) { setClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage); } } else // default it to para14 if no cookie { setClass('story_content','para14'); setClass('fontsizecontainer','size02'); } } function setStoryFontSize(storyfontsize,storyfontimage) { setClass('story_content',storyfontsize); setClass('fontsizecontainer',storyfontimage); setCookie('storyfontsize', storyfontsize, '365', '/', '', ''); setCookie('storyfontimage', storyfontimage, '365', '/', '', ''); } function setCookie( name, value, expires, path, domain, secure ) { // set time var today = new Date(); today.setTime( today.getTime() ); if ( expires ) { expires = expires * 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24; //days } var expires_date = new Date( today.getTime() + (expires) ); document.cookie = name + "=" + escape( value ) + ( ( expires ) ? ";expires=" + expires_date.toGMTString() : "" ) + ( ( path ) ? ";path=" + path : "" ) + ( ( domain ) ? ";domain=" + domain : "" ) + ( ( secure ) ? ";secure" : "" ); } function getCookie( check_name ) { // split this cookie up into name/value pairs var a_all_cookies = document.cookie.split( ';' ); var a_temp_cookie = ''; var cookie_name = ''; var cookie_value = ''; var b_cookie_found = false; // set boolean t/f default f for ( i = 0; i < a_all_cookies.length; i++ ) { // split apart each name=value pair a_temp_cookie = a_all_cookies.split( '=' ); // and trim left/right whitespace while we're at it cookie_name = a_temp_cookie[0].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, ''); // if the extracted name matches passed check_name if ( cookie_name == check_name ) { b_cookie_found = true; // we need to handle case where cookie has no value but exists (no = sign, that is): if ( a_temp_cookie.length > 1 ) { cookie_value = unescape( a_temp_cookie[1].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, '') ); } // note that in cases where cookie is initialized but no value, null is returned return cookie_value; break; } a_temp_cookie = null; cookie_name = ''; } if ( !b_cookie_found ) { return null; } } </SCRIPT>Several outbreaks of flu-like illness have been reported this week by schools around the province.
After an unusually slow start to this year?s flu season, up to 10 B.C. schools had absentee numbers this week that were high enough to be reported to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
On the North Shore, Carson Graham and Handsworth secondary schools were reporting high numbers of absent students this week, as was Summit middle school in Coquitlam.
There is no way to confirm, though, that the absent students are suffering from influenza, said Dr. Danuta Skowronski, an epidemiologist with the centre.
?There?s nothing unusual or dramatic about the numbers,? Skowronski said Thursday.
But she was not willing to wager that the entire season will be mild.
?As soon as you say something definitive about influenza, it proves you wrong,? she said.
Schools are asked to report to the Centre for Disease Control when the number of students absent reaches 10 per cent or more. At Summit middle school, more than 100 ? out of 714 ? students have missed classes three days this week, said Cheryl Quinton, communications manager at the Coquitlam school district.
?I?m understanding that it?s a couple of different illnesses that are circulating right now,? said Quinton.
?Kids are away for colds and there?s also a bit of a gastro-intestinal bug as well. These are typical winter bugs.?
At Carson Graham, about 11 per cent of the student body was absent for at least one day this week. And at Handsworth, the absentee rate was up to 16 per cent earlier this week, said Anna Marie D?Angelo of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
The BCCDC does not publicly identify schools that report high absentee rates.
aobrian@vancouversun.com
http://www.vancouversun.com/Health/like+outbreaks+reported+schools/1232517/story.html