Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
H1N1 rears its head in area schools
Submitted by Josh Chase on September 10, 2009 - 5:04pm.
With three suspected cases of the H1N1 flu virus discovered in Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools this week, the oft-feared fall flu season is underway.
Cindy Isaacson, the district?s head nurse, wouldn?t say which area schools the students attend, but said the cases were from ?all across the board? ? elementary, middle and high schools.
?We knew that we had three cases and we sent several students home with influenza-like symptoms as of [Wednesday],? said Isaacson. ?If we see students with influenza-like symptoms, we?re sending them home, asking them to stay there until they?re fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.?
That requirement is in compliance with guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. Under CDC recommendations, schools should only close under drastic circumstances, such as if the flu emerges in schools where most students have special needs, if large numbers of students and staff develop H1N1 or if parents send sick children to school despite federal and local requests not to.
In addition to following the recommendations of state and federal agencies, the district has been working to develop its own response plan. A crisis team comprised of administrators and health officials met in mid-August to discuss how to handle H1N1 contractions. The team has plans for additional meetings throughout the fall, said district nurse Terry Fuhrman.
Despite preparations, district health officials say they can only do so much to contain the virus. Although the ill students discovered this week have been isolated from the student population, Isaacson said local schools haven?t seen the last of H1N1.
?We?ve brought all the students back together into one environment,? Isaacson said, referring to the start of the new school year Tuesday.
?So, this is just the start of it. We?ll see more cases,? she said.
According to Superintendent Sue Ann Gruver, the district is largely relying on ?parents calling to report [that] they or their doctors suspect their children have H1N1.?
None of the students have been hospitalized, said the superintendent, who added that none of the cases have been confirmed, since it takes about a week to confirm an H1N1 diagnosis.
The three suspected cases aren?t the first in Prior Lake. In June, a 14-year-old girl who attends Prior Lake High School contracted the illness after her first day at a school-related camp shortly after the end of the 2008-09 school year.
http://www.plamerican.com/news/general-news/h1n1-rears-its-head-area-schools-109
Submitted by Josh Chase on September 10, 2009 - 5:04pm.
With three suspected cases of the H1N1 flu virus discovered in Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools this week, the oft-feared fall flu season is underway.
Cindy Isaacson, the district?s head nurse, wouldn?t say which area schools the students attend, but said the cases were from ?all across the board? ? elementary, middle and high schools.
?We knew that we had three cases and we sent several students home with influenza-like symptoms as of [Wednesday],? said Isaacson. ?If we see students with influenza-like symptoms, we?re sending them home, asking them to stay there until they?re fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.?
That requirement is in compliance with guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. Under CDC recommendations, schools should only close under drastic circumstances, such as if the flu emerges in schools where most students have special needs, if large numbers of students and staff develop H1N1 or if parents send sick children to school despite federal and local requests not to.
In addition to following the recommendations of state and federal agencies, the district has been working to develop its own response plan. A crisis team comprised of administrators and health officials met in mid-August to discuss how to handle H1N1 contractions. The team has plans for additional meetings throughout the fall, said district nurse Terry Fuhrman.
Despite preparations, district health officials say they can only do so much to contain the virus. Although the ill students discovered this week have been isolated from the student population, Isaacson said local schools haven?t seen the last of H1N1.
?We?ve brought all the students back together into one environment,? Isaacson said, referring to the start of the new school year Tuesday.
?So, this is just the start of it. We?ll see more cases,? she said.
According to Superintendent Sue Ann Gruver, the district is largely relying on ?parents calling to report [that] they or their doctors suspect their children have H1N1.?
None of the students have been hospitalized, said the superintendent, who added that none of the cases have been confirmed, since it takes about a week to confirm an H1N1 diagnosis.
The three suspected cases aren?t the first in Prior Lake. In June, a 14-year-old girl who attends Prior Lake High School contracted the illness after her first day at a school-related camp shortly after the end of the 2008-09 school year.
http://www.plamerican.com/news/general-news/h1n1-rears-its-head-area-schools-109