Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Posted on Saturday, 09.05.09
MIAMI SHORES
Students at Miami Shores school on alert for swine flu
BY CHRISTINA VEIGA
cveiga@MiamiHerald.com
What a way to start senior year of high school: college applications, a class trip -- and the H1N1 virus?
About 15 students, all seniors at Miami Country Day School in Miami Shores, filled their nurse's office on Monday exhibiting signs of what may be the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.
The students may have gotten sick while on a senior trip that took them whitewater rafting in North Carolina.
Students were in close quarters throughout the three-day trip -- on airplanes, in buses and sharing rooms.
School nurse Fran Oppedisano said she saw 85 students on Tuesday. Most were not sick, but just concerned, she said.
Oppedisano also has fielded dozens of calls from parents and made her own calls to local pediatricians.
She even held a school assembly to offer students tips on how to stay healthy.
``The most important part of my job is teaching students as well as family how to take care of themselves,'' Oppedisano said.
``I have spent the last two days doing a lot of education.''
School officials sent an e-mail blast to parents and updated the school website with recommendations for how to avoid spreading the virus.
``We are communicating with our parents to provide them with the best resources so they can partner with us to ensure that their children, our students, are getting the best guidance and care,'' John Davies, head of the school said in an e-mail.
Senior Josh Aronson stayed home sick on Wednesday. He went on the senior trip, as did the majority of seniors, he said. Josh wasn't sure if he had the flu but hoped that -- whatever it was -- the sickness would go away soon.
``Hopefully it's just one day,'' said Josh, 17.
Josh and his classmates traveled to North Carolina last week, where there have been 193 hospitalizations and nine deaths caused by the flu, according to the North Carolina Public Heath Department.
There have been a reported 605 hospitalizations and 66 deaths in Florida caused by the flu, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The Centers for Disease Control reports about 36,000 deaths in the United States from regular seasonal flu.
School officials said they were not sure of any confirmed cases of H1N1, but the CDC does not currently require testing for the virus.
However, if a student tests positive for the influenza A virus, of which swine flu is a subtype, he or she may have H1N1, Oppedisano said.
Miami Country Day does not expect to have to cancel any classes and no additional students have gotten sick since Tuesday, Oppedisano said.
School officials recommend following CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of the flu, which include washing hands often and avoiding close contact with sick people.
``There's no need to panic. You just need to keep your kids home if they're sick,'' Oppedisano said.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/northeast/story/1217156.html
MIAMI SHORES
Students at Miami Shores school on alert for swine flu
BY CHRISTINA VEIGA
cveiga@MiamiHerald.com
What a way to start senior year of high school: college applications, a class trip -- and the H1N1 virus?
About 15 students, all seniors at Miami Country Day School in Miami Shores, filled their nurse's office on Monday exhibiting signs of what may be the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.
The students may have gotten sick while on a senior trip that took them whitewater rafting in North Carolina.
Students were in close quarters throughout the three-day trip -- on airplanes, in buses and sharing rooms.
School nurse Fran Oppedisano said she saw 85 students on Tuesday. Most were not sick, but just concerned, she said.
Oppedisano also has fielded dozens of calls from parents and made her own calls to local pediatricians.
She even held a school assembly to offer students tips on how to stay healthy.
``The most important part of my job is teaching students as well as family how to take care of themselves,'' Oppedisano said.
``I have spent the last two days doing a lot of education.''
School officials sent an e-mail blast to parents and updated the school website with recommendations for how to avoid spreading the virus.
``We are communicating with our parents to provide them with the best resources so they can partner with us to ensure that their children, our students, are getting the best guidance and care,'' John Davies, head of the school said in an e-mail.
Senior Josh Aronson stayed home sick on Wednesday. He went on the senior trip, as did the majority of seniors, he said. Josh wasn't sure if he had the flu but hoped that -- whatever it was -- the sickness would go away soon.
``Hopefully it's just one day,'' said Josh, 17.
Josh and his classmates traveled to North Carolina last week, where there have been 193 hospitalizations and nine deaths caused by the flu, according to the North Carolina Public Heath Department.
There have been a reported 605 hospitalizations and 66 deaths in Florida caused by the flu, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The Centers for Disease Control reports about 36,000 deaths in the United States from regular seasonal flu.
School officials said they were not sure of any confirmed cases of H1N1, but the CDC does not currently require testing for the virus.
However, if a student tests positive for the influenza A virus, of which swine flu is a subtype, he or she may have H1N1, Oppedisano said.
Miami Country Day does not expect to have to cancel any classes and no additional students have gotten sick since Tuesday, Oppedisano said.
School officials recommend following CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of the flu, which include washing hands often and avoiding close contact with sick people.
``There's no need to panic. You just need to keep your kids home if they're sick,'' Oppedisano said.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/northeast/story/1217156.html