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Schools talk prevention, handling H1N1 flu
By LINDA HALL
Staff Writer
WOOSTER -- Schools won't shut down for the H1N1 flu unless they can't function because of the number of people sick.
That's the latest news, as of Thursday, from health sources Wayne County Health Department director of patient care services Robin Farnsworth is following.
"The message to schools has changed," Farnsworth said, the government having decided "schools are the safest places for kids to be."
Even so, schools are coming up with a plan, mostly dealing with prevention, to handle an outbreak.
Wooster City Schools nurses, along with nurses from schools across the county, have met with the health department in order to develop a plan in conjunction with the agency, said David Kocevar, director of community and business affairs for the district.
It will be the topic of the work session and regular session of the board this month, he said.
Primarily, the response to a possible H1N1 flu outbreak will consist of "measures to help guard against getting the flu," Kocevar said, along with cleaning and maintenance of the school environment.
"We're going to be looking at everything," he said.
The College of Wooster is gearing up with a procedure including distribution of information and student illness surveillance, said Nancy Anderson, director of the Longbrake Student Wellness Center.
The college health center will give seasonal flu vaccinations at the end of September and has registered with the federal government to deliver the H1N1 vaccination. But, she cautioned, H1N1 flu information, tips and recommendations change frequently.
Gauging the scope and severity of H1N1 flu, which was first referred to as swine flu, is like trying to predict the path and resulting damage of a hurricane, Farnsworth told a Family and Children First Council committee.
The good news, Farnsworth said, is its incidences where monitored in the Southern Hemisphere has been mild and it has not yet mutated.
"That's not to say it can't or it won't," she said.
Dealing with H1N1 flu will require preparation and prevention, Farnsworth said. "Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best."
While seasonal flu generally hits the elderly and chronically ill the hardest, H1N1 flu is more likely to strike those ages 5 to 24, and even as young as six months.
"It is also hitting pregnant women very hard," Farnsworth said.
In fact, Diane Field, manager of the Women's Pavilion at Wooster Community Hospital, said her unit will be "beefing up" to handle cases.
The first line of prevention is the vaccine for seasonal flu, Farnsworth said, emphasizing it is the only vaccine the health department has so far received. She recommends getting it as soon as possible.
The advice to health care providers is, "If you have it in September in your refrigerator, start giving it," she said.
"We've moved all our seasonal clinics up," she said.
It's not going to be important to test people for the purpose of identifying which type of flu they have, according to Farnsworth. "Regardless of which type of flu it is, the treatment is the same."
As of now, although the advice could change, she acknowledged, "Once you're fever-free for 24 hours without medication, you can return (to work or school)."
School districts will be the focal point of flu clinics when the H1N1 vaccinations begin arriving weekly beginning with the projected mid-October date, she said. "We're trying to get clinics in every district," but not in every school building.
The next target group will be day care facilities and preschools, she said.
According to Farnsworth, a state emergency plan has been developed to enlist the help of top-tier emergency medical technicians in giving vaccinations.
"We already have people calling asking for the H1N1 vaccine," she said, emphasizing it is not yet available.
Another word to the wise -- "No vaccine is 100 percent effective,"
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4667527Farnsworth said.
By LINDA HALL
Staff Writer
WOOSTER -- Schools won't shut down for the H1N1 flu unless they can't function because of the number of people sick.
That's the latest news, as of Thursday, from health sources Wayne County Health Department director of patient care services Robin Farnsworth is following.
"The message to schools has changed," Farnsworth said, the government having decided "schools are the safest places for kids to be."
Even so, schools are coming up with a plan, mostly dealing with prevention, to handle an outbreak.
Wooster City Schools nurses, along with nurses from schools across the county, have met with the health department in order to develop a plan in conjunction with the agency, said David Kocevar, director of community and business affairs for the district.
It will be the topic of the work session and regular session of the board this month, he said.
Primarily, the response to a possible H1N1 flu outbreak will consist of "measures to help guard against getting the flu," Kocevar said, along with cleaning and maintenance of the school environment.
"We're going to be looking at everything," he said.
The College of Wooster is gearing up with a procedure including distribution of information and student illness surveillance, said Nancy Anderson, director of the Longbrake Student Wellness Center.
The college health center will give seasonal flu vaccinations at the end of September and has registered with the federal government to deliver the H1N1 vaccination. But, she cautioned, H1N1 flu information, tips and recommendations change frequently.
Gauging the scope and severity of H1N1 flu, which was first referred to as swine flu, is like trying to predict the path and resulting damage of a hurricane, Farnsworth told a Family and Children First Council committee.
The good news, Farnsworth said, is its incidences where monitored in the Southern Hemisphere has been mild and it has not yet mutated.
"That's not to say it can't or it won't," she said.
Dealing with H1N1 flu will require preparation and prevention, Farnsworth said. "Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best."
While seasonal flu generally hits the elderly and chronically ill the hardest, H1N1 flu is more likely to strike those ages 5 to 24, and even as young as six months.
"It is also hitting pregnant women very hard," Farnsworth said.
In fact, Diane Field, manager of the Women's Pavilion at Wooster Community Hospital, said her unit will be "beefing up" to handle cases.
The first line of prevention is the vaccine for seasonal flu, Farnsworth said, emphasizing it is the only vaccine the health department has so far received. She recommends getting it as soon as possible.
The advice to health care providers is, "If you have it in September in your refrigerator, start giving it," she said.
"We've moved all our seasonal clinics up," she said.
It's not going to be important to test people for the purpose of identifying which type of flu they have, according to Farnsworth. "Regardless of which type of flu it is, the treatment is the same."
As of now, although the advice could change, she acknowledged, "Once you're fever-free for 24 hours without medication, you can return (to work or school)."
School districts will be the focal point of flu clinics when the H1N1 vaccinations begin arriving weekly beginning with the projected mid-October date, she said. "We're trying to get clinics in every district," but not in every school building.
The next target group will be day care facilities and preschools, she said.
According to Farnsworth, a state emergency plan has been developed to enlist the help of top-tier emergency medical technicians in giving vaccinations.
"We already have people calling asking for the H1N1 vaccine," she said, emphasizing it is not yet available.
Another word to the wise -- "No vaccine is 100 percent effective,"
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4667527Farnsworth said.