Commonground
Senior Moderator
Friday, October 23, 2009
Flu on upswing at Grafton High
GRAFTON ? On the fifth consecutive day of increased absences at Grafton High School, state health officials are assuming that what?s sickening students is the H1N1 (swine) virus.
?We can?t be 100 percent sure,? said Lauren Smith, medical director for the state Department of Public Health. She noted that the state is not conducting tests to differentiate between H1N1 flu and seasonal flu. Any reports of ?confirmed? H1N1 cases are not being made by the Department of Public Health, she said.
?Both types of flu exhibit the exact same symptoms, and the response to both should be exactly the same,? she said.
The reason state health officials believe that what?s sickening kids at Grafton High is H1N1, she said, is its timing. Seasonal flu typically hits in November and December, and there is no evidence that the seasonal flu has made its annual arrival.
?Until we see seasonal flu, we?re working on the assumption that it?s H1N1,? she said.
She said the high incidence of flu among Grafton High students, as well as students at dozens of other high schools across the state, means ?the other shoe has dropped? in terms of H1N1 virus.
?It?s here, it has come as we predicted and as we have prepared for,? she said.
School Superintendent Joseph Connors said yesterday that 236 students were absent at the high school yesterday, representing 36 percent of the high school student population, as well as 15 faculty members. Athletic events have also been rescheduled, said Mr. Connors.
Grafton Health Agent Lois Luniewicz said there have been no confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus, otherwise known as the swine flu, reported to the Board of Health, ?but that doesn?t mean it?s not true.? Ms. Luniewicz said she could not confirm or deny any H1N1 cases in Grafton without any information from the state Department of Public Health.
Mr. Connors said the sick students and faculty have similar symptoms.
Student absences have been rising throughout the week. On Wednesday, 29 percent of the students at Grafton High School called in sick, many with similar flu-like symptoms.
Mr. Connors cautioned that the absentee rate does not indicate all of the absent students are sick, and said some parents may be keeping their children home as a precaution.
?The goal is to keep the building open for as long as we can run a safe school,? said Mr. Connors, noting that the faculty absence rate, rather than the student absent rate, is more of a deciding factor. ?Our best plan of attack is to keep the healthy students separate from the sick students.?
Mr. Connors is continuing to ask that parents keep sick students at home. Meanwhile, the school is relaxing some of the grading criteria. The school has excused all absences for this week, which will allow students to catch up on missed work, and is extending the first quarter by seven days. Grades for the first quarter were to have closed Nov. 2, but now will close Nov. 9 to allow both sick students and teachers a chance to catch up.
Dr. Smith, the state health official, praised Grafton High?s response to the flu outbreak, particularly in the extending of the first quarter and the relaxing of grading criteria.
?I can?t stress enough how absolutely critical it is for sick kids to stay home,? Dr. Smith said. ?Anything that can be done to accommodate them is welcome.?
Some athletic events and field trips are being rescheduled so sick students don?t feel compelled to come to school for fear they will miss something.
?We want the students that are healthy to come to school, and the sick students to stay home,? said Mr. Connors.
The illnesses are confined to the high school, and the three other schools ? Grafton Middle School, North Grafton Elementary School and Grafton Elementary School ? have a lower than average absentee rate.
?The absentee rate this time of year usually runs about 5 percent, but we are at 2 percent at all of our other schools,? Mr. Connors said.
Mr. Connors said the school has rigorous cleaning standards that were implemented last spring. The school is cleaned each evening, hand-washing and sanitizing stations are located around the school, and the school is sanitized by the custodians each afternoon.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20091023/NEWS/910230416/1116
Flu on upswing at Grafton High
GRAFTON ? On the fifth consecutive day of increased absences at Grafton High School, state health officials are assuming that what?s sickening students is the H1N1 (swine) virus.
?We can?t be 100 percent sure,? said Lauren Smith, medical director for the state Department of Public Health. She noted that the state is not conducting tests to differentiate between H1N1 flu and seasonal flu. Any reports of ?confirmed? H1N1 cases are not being made by the Department of Public Health, she said.
?Both types of flu exhibit the exact same symptoms, and the response to both should be exactly the same,? she said.
The reason state health officials believe that what?s sickening kids at Grafton High is H1N1, she said, is its timing. Seasonal flu typically hits in November and December, and there is no evidence that the seasonal flu has made its annual arrival.
?Until we see seasonal flu, we?re working on the assumption that it?s H1N1,? she said.
She said the high incidence of flu among Grafton High students, as well as students at dozens of other high schools across the state, means ?the other shoe has dropped? in terms of H1N1 virus.
?It?s here, it has come as we predicted and as we have prepared for,? she said.
School Superintendent Joseph Connors said yesterday that 236 students were absent at the high school yesterday, representing 36 percent of the high school student population, as well as 15 faculty members. Athletic events have also been rescheduled, said Mr. Connors.
Grafton Health Agent Lois Luniewicz said there have been no confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus, otherwise known as the swine flu, reported to the Board of Health, ?but that doesn?t mean it?s not true.? Ms. Luniewicz said she could not confirm or deny any H1N1 cases in Grafton without any information from the state Department of Public Health.
Mr. Connors said the sick students and faculty have similar symptoms.
Student absences have been rising throughout the week. On Wednesday, 29 percent of the students at Grafton High School called in sick, many with similar flu-like symptoms.
Mr. Connors cautioned that the absentee rate does not indicate all of the absent students are sick, and said some parents may be keeping their children home as a precaution.
?The goal is to keep the building open for as long as we can run a safe school,? said Mr. Connors, noting that the faculty absence rate, rather than the student absent rate, is more of a deciding factor. ?Our best plan of attack is to keep the healthy students separate from the sick students.?
Mr. Connors is continuing to ask that parents keep sick students at home. Meanwhile, the school is relaxing some of the grading criteria. The school has excused all absences for this week, which will allow students to catch up on missed work, and is extending the first quarter by seven days. Grades for the first quarter were to have closed Nov. 2, but now will close Nov. 9 to allow both sick students and teachers a chance to catch up.
Dr. Smith, the state health official, praised Grafton High?s response to the flu outbreak, particularly in the extending of the first quarter and the relaxing of grading criteria.
?I can?t stress enough how absolutely critical it is for sick kids to stay home,? Dr. Smith said. ?Anything that can be done to accommodate them is welcome.?
Some athletic events and field trips are being rescheduled so sick students don?t feel compelled to come to school for fear they will miss something.
?We want the students that are healthy to come to school, and the sick students to stay home,? said Mr. Connors.
The illnesses are confined to the high school, and the three other schools ? Grafton Middle School, North Grafton Elementary School and Grafton Elementary School ? have a lower than average absentee rate.
?The absentee rate this time of year usually runs about 5 percent, but we are at 2 percent at all of our other schools,? Mr. Connors said.
Mr. Connors said the school has rigorous cleaning standards that were implemented last spring. The school is cleaned each evening, hand-washing and sanitizing stations are located around the school, and the school is sanitized by the custodians each afternoon.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20091023/NEWS/910230416/1116